


The Curse

by DarkCorgi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Slash, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2006-01-19
Updated: 2007-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-27 21:26:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10051082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCorgi/pseuds/DarkCorgi
Summary: :  Harry is kidnapped by Death Eaters after his birthday.  Instead of killing him outright, Voldemort curses him with a banned and little known sex-slave curse.  There is no known counter for the curse and Harry's rescued by the only person who can save him.A/N: This story comes from a plot bunny donated by Sarah from the SnapexHarry ML at Yahoo! Groups.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).
> 
> Author's Note: This story is not abandoned, but due to health issues, lost muse and Hurricane Sandy I've been forced to put this on a loooong hiatus. Hopefully I'll be able to remember where I was going with this story and my other one that's in progress, which has been hard since all my notes and the partially completed chapters went for an unauthorized swim. Keep your fingers crossed.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling and I make no money from this. The story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

 

Number 4 Privet Drive was quiet and its windows were dark, just like the other houses up and down the street. The late night was just like every other August night, until one by one the street lamps went dead. The darkness concealed dozens of people, whose forms no one could make out since they were draped in black flowing garments. They made their way down the street, not stopping until the reached the house with the meticulous gardens and the shiny brass four on the wall next to the door. The dark forms fanned out along the properties boundaries and began to chant in unison. Over and over they repeated the Latin phrase until there was a flash of red light forming around and over the house and gardens. When that light occurred another chant filled the air along side the original one. Half the cloaked forms continued the first chant while the rest spoke the other, their pace increasing after each recitation. After the new chant was repeated the thirteenth time the red light surrounding the house shattered into a million pieces of light, much like that of a shattering glass. 

 

Soundlessly those who surrounded the house surged forward, entering the house through the front and back doors with a murmured spell. Three of the house's occupants did not hear the intruders enter, so soundly they slept. They never knew anything more as they died quietly at the end of a green beam of light. The fourth, in the house's smallest bedroom did hear those barely heard footstep and the slight creak of the third stair from the bottom. He quickly reached under his pillow and slipped out the slim piece of polished holly that was his wand and grabbed his broom after releasing his owl from his room. He turned to climb out the window and flee when the door blasted open and a shouted spell from one of the intruders slammed his window shut. The cornered youth turned and dropped into a crouch and started firing curses and hexes while dodging the ones sent back at him. Soon there numbers overwhelmed him and they managed to disarm him, but he didn't give up. 

 

He fought tooth and nail as they tried to grab his arms. He squirmed away as magical ropes attempted to wrap themselves around him. He broke his rickety desk chair and used the legs as clubs until broke. He then resorted to throwing books and broken toys at his attackers. Each time he scored a hit he smirked as the victim uttered a curse when struck. As he struggled with those trying to capture him his trunk was knocked over and the contents spilled out. He spotted the shards of a broken mirror and grabbed two of the largest pieces and began to lash out at those trying to subdue him. He had the advantage since it seemed their orders were to capture not kill and he had no compunction against maiming or killing those who surrounded him. He swung at arms, eyes, throats and anything he could reach and soon enough he was covered in blood, most of which wasn't his. Sadly his strength began to give out and much too soon for his comfort he was captured. The last thing he saw before darkness took him was five white-masked faces leering down at him.

* * *

In a castle lost in the wilds of Scotland and a hidden house in the heart of London alarms blared into life. Everyone at both locations knew what those shrilling alerts were for and the occupants of both places boiled out of there respective buildings donning what ever clothing came to hand. Once each person reached a safe distance from their domiciles they apparated to the location under attack. They arrived on a darkened street and swiftly made their way to number 4. The house was dark just like its neighbours and those newly arrived unknowingly mimicked the ones that came earlier and fanned out around the property. With out a word they broke into groups. Several went through the back door while the others went in the front. All were alarmed when the doors yielded to a touch. They quickly searched the lower level of the house. Two groups made their way cautiously up the stairs and checked the rooms upstairs. The first two rooms they checked had bodies in them and they readily were able to identify the dead victims. The next two doors revealed a bathroom and an empty guest room filled with frilly décor. The final room was concealed by a door that had several locks upon the outside. When they slowly opened and discovered a frantic owl sitting on the window sill and blood everywhere. Once fully into the room they found black cloaked bodies. Slowly one of the searchers went to each body and removed the masks from their faces. He noted each person and filed away the information for later. There was nothing they could do here. They were too late and now all they could do was pray and let the silent figure in black that waited downstairs do his work.

 

They all made there way back to the hidden house in London and sat dazedly around the old wooden table in the kitchen, each hoping someone else would break the silence. They sat around in misery and here and there a few people cried into the shoulder of their neighbour. The silence was broken when the oldest member of the grieving group stood up to speak.

 

"We'll have to keep all our ears open. If Voldemort holds true to his pattern he won't kill the boy right away. If we're lucky one of the less disciplined members of the Death Eaters will slip and give away their location. I'm hoping that we can gain the information that way so Severus' cover will remain intact." Albus Dumbledore told those surrounding him in a somber voice. For the first time for many of those sitting around the table the characteristic twinkle in his eyes was gone and cold, cold fury replaced it.

 

"Severus, was there any hint that he found a way to break the blood wards around Privet Drive?" A sad, weary, grey-haired man asked the brooding figure in the shadows.

 

"Either it was a spur of the moment plan or he doesn't trust me. I was not informed, so either scenario is possible, Lupin." Severus answered in a monotone. "We'll see what he says when he summons us next. If Potter is in the Dark Lord's hands then I should be summoned soon."

 

"Then all we can do is wait and keep our ears and eyes open. I want everyone to return to their usual activities in the morning and frequent those locations you pick up the local gossip at." Albus ordered the group, but was cut off by a sharp hiss of pain from the shadows.

 

"There is no need for that. He calls." Severus forced out before turning sharply and striding out the door.

 

"Good luck, Severus." Albus whispered to himself as his spy left for the uncertainty of a Death Eater gathering.

 

The room went completely still in the wake of the Potions Master's exit and no one dared breath too loudly in fear of breaking the fragile hope that rode on the shoulders of the surly man. Silent prayers went out to every deity they could think of, hoping for the safe return of the boy.

* * *

Harry awoke in total darkness. He felt around for his glasses and gave up after not finding them near by. He tried to remember what happened through the pain in his head and slowly the events placed themselves in the proper order. He was a prisoner. He was taken from his relatives by Voldemort's thugs and he didn't have a clue as to where they stashed him. He hoped Hedwig had gotten away as he explored his surroundings by touch. He shivered with cold and realized that he was completely nude in the sparse room. He felt the pallet he awoke on and the cold stone floors. Standing up he realized that the walls were stone too and there wasn't any source of light for the cell. He knew he had to be in a cell and he couldn't find any sign of a door. He had no wand so he couldn't defend himself. He could do nothing but wait. If he was lucky he'll have a long wait before having to face the snake-faced bastard with out any defences. 

 

He propped himself up in a corner and settled in to wait. Eventually he dozed off while whiling away the time and woke to the sound of grating stone. The wall opposite his position opened up, just like the doors to the Slytherin dorm. Five figures filled the opening and Harry had to blink rapidly to deal with the sudden exposure to light. He didn't say a word, nor did he move. The five Death Eaters didn't seem to mind as they crowded into the cell. Harry could identify one as Lucius Malfoy, who recently escaped from prison with the help of Death Eaters within the ministry.

 

"So Potter, do you like your room?" Malfoy sneered as he paced in front of Harry. "Come now, don't be rude. Show your appreciation." 

 

Harry didn't bother to say a word. He'll let them do all the talking. He wasn't in any mood to play their games. Soon enough they would get bored with their games and leave him alone in the darkness. He was wrong in that account.

 

"Well since you refuse to have a civilized conversation, we'll entertain ourselves. Our Lord grated us this time to relieve ourselves of some tension. You certainly won't deny us our fun, no will you, Potter?" 

 

Harry didn't have a moment to register the change in the conversation before the first blow fell. He was punched and kicked, cursed and hexed over and over. He couldn't take the feeling of muscles ripping, eyes bulging, or the fire than raced along his nerves. He couldn't remember hurting so much before and fervently wished they would hurry up and kill him. He finally gave in to darkness as yet another bout of the Cruciatus roared over him.

 

Harry regained consciousness in the darkness, alone once again in his cell. He didn't know how long they tortured him and he really didn't care. He hoped that Dumbledore and the rest of the Order would notice his disappearance. He wished for rescue, but knew that it was a false hope. He'll die this time with no miracles to help him and no means to defend himself. As he wallowed in his thoughts the wall opened up again and two Death Eaters grabbed him and dragged him out of the cell. He let himself fall limp and watched quietly as they made their way through the dungeons. Maybe, just maybe, his luck would hold out and he'd find a way to break free. His luck abandoned him when no windows, doors or hallways appeared. They came to an unadorned door and as the door opened a searing pain ripped through his scar. He managed to focus his eyes enough to make out the glowing red eyes of Voldemort. He guards tried to throw him to the floor, but he managed to get his feet before they could and remained upright. From the little he could see due to his lack of glasses, it seemed that all the Death Eaters were present tonight. He stood lightly on the balls of his feet in order to dodge anything aimed at him, provided he could see it.

 

"Welcome my faithful followers. You're here to see the punishment of one who would defy me." Voldemort left his throne, at least Harry guessed that was what it was, and paced towards Harry. "You should have joined me when you had the chance boy." He hissed into Harry's ear. Harry couldn't suppress the flinch and the surrounding Death Eaters laughed.

 

"Don't you ever stop talking? If you're going to kill me get it over with. I'm bored." Harry announced. He spit in the bastard's face and braced himself for whatever fate had in store for him.

 

"Oh no, I'm not going to kill you." Voldemort hissed in parseltongue. "I've a fate worse than death in store for you. Harry blinked rapidly in confusion and then screamed in pain as Voldemort hit him with a Cruciatus Curse.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I'm not sure if Stargazer is still planning on writing her story based on this plot. I can still provide links to her site and yahoo group if anyone asks.

**The Curse  
Chapter 2  
By Corgi**

Severus arrived at the meeting and waited silently in the shadows for the Dark Lord's arrival. In the centre of the lavishly appointed room Lucius Malfoy was holding court. The man looked unbearably smug and Severus dearly wished to wipe that look off the blonde bastard's face, but he played a game of appearances and had to restrain his baser instincts. He listened intently to the conversations around him and heard Potter's name repeatedly through out the room. Moving from shadow to shadow he eavesdropped on every conversation he could get close to without giving himself away and each time those he was listening to mentioned that the Dark Lord had special plans for Potter, but didn't know the details. Severus felt a shiver run up his spine at the thought. Anything the Dark Lord considered special was horrid enough to drive anyone mad and frequently was fatal. He didn't know if he was going to be able to keep his cover this time. Something in his gut told him this was his last spying mission.

 

After a boring half hour of waiting and listening to the mindless prattle of his peers the Dark Lord arrived. For a very brief moment he was relieved that the bastard had finally arrived. He had a hard time preventing himself from throwing up while watching Lucius' preening. The snake-like visage made eye contact with every member of his circle of followers and Severus occluded his mind and stepped out of the shadows to acknowledge his 'Lord'. 

 

The Dark Lord ordered his men to report on their missions and promptly punished those who did not produce satisfactory results. Severus watched with detached interest as several of his fellows were put under the Cruciatus Curse for the littlest mistake. Internally he was preparing for his own questioning, making sure his mind was completely occluded and every emotion was cut off. After another half hour of waiting it was his turn to come under fire. No one in the room was able to tell what he was feeling and he made sure to keep it that way.

 

"Ssseverussss, what news from Hogwarts?" Voldemort demanded, drawing out the sibilants in his name. Something that Severus hated with a passion.

 

"Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix are in a state of panic. Potter's disappearance has left them crippled and Dumbledore is trying every method at his disposal to trace the brat. He's even been calling in favours from anyone that owes him something." Severus replied without any inflection in his voice.

 

"Excellent, Severus." The Dark Lord said after staring into Severus' eyes for several long moments. 

 

Unlike the rest of his 'colleagues' who escaped punishment he didn't sigh in relief when the Dark Lord turned his attention to the next person in line. He stood patiently as the Dark Lord finished receiving his reports. The Dark Lord moved to the throne set up on a raised platform and surveyed his 'kingdom'.

 

"Now my faithful I now have a way to make the wizarding world bow down before me. You two retrieve the prisoner from the dungeon and bring him here." The Dark Lord pointed at two burly Death Eaters who immediately bowed and left the room to carry out their orders.

 

The two returned quickly with a limp and naked Potter between them. They tried to throw the boy on the floor before the Dark Lord, but he managed to get his feet under him and stand proudly before the bastard. Severus guessed that the boy was purposely causing trouble to buy himself sometime, but Severus knew it was a hopeless cause since he knew the layout of the dungeons and there was no exit except through this room. He saw the boy flinch in pain when he entered the room and noticed the Dark Lord and he cursed the fact that the brat didn't learn Occlumency the year before. He noticed the boy's glasses were missing as the young man did his best to survey his surroundings and preparing to dodge if he could. His eyes unconsciously raked over the boy's naked form and couldn't help but notice how lovely the boy looked despite being overly thin. He was jerked from his appraisal by the Dark Lord's performance.

 

"Welcome my faithful followers." The Dark Lord intoned; little did he know how unfaithful Severus was. "You're here to see the punishment of one who would defy me." Severus fought against rolling his eyes at the pompous speech meant to frighten the boy and the fool didn't notice that his ploy wasn't working. Severus watched as the worm white form left his throne and moved towards the boy. "You should have joined me when you had the chance boy." He smirked when the boy flinched at the proximity of his nemesis and Severus joined the rest of the fools with a token laugh.

 

"Don't you ever stop talking? If you're going to kill me get it over with. I'm bored." Potter was obviously unimpressed with the Dark Lord's posturing and Severus mentally gave the boy house points for causing the Dark Lord to grind his teeth. 

 

The Dark Lord smirked evilly and that expression gave Severus a feeling of foreboding in the pit of his stomach. He knew that none of the Order, or Harry, would like what the bastard had in store for Potter. His master switched to parseltongue to continue his battle of wills with Potter and Severus wished once again with all his heart for that ability. Severus forced himself to watch unconcerned as the Dark Lord cast the Cruciatus Curse on his student.

 

Severus, though he hated Gryffindors as a general principle, couldn't help feeling proud of the boy when he immediately got back to his feet once the Dark Lord released the curse on him. He could see the boy trying to mask the shaking of his limbs from those around him; it was something a Slytherin would do it this situation. He ran several scenarios though his mind in hopes of divining the snake's plans for the boy. What the Dark Lord announced as the boy's punishment was a far cry from any of the ideas Severus had.

 

"If you will not join me willingly, Potter, then you will strengthen my magic unwillingly." The Dark Lord told the boy. "I've found the most interesting spell during my research. It is old and nearly forgotten, but so useful. The ministry banned it centuries ago and there is no counter curse for it. You will be my slave for the rest of your life, as long as I allow you to live that is. I will take your innocence and that will feed my power. You will not run away little boy for if I don't use you with in three days of the last time I did so you will die a most painful death. You don't want to do that now do you?" 

 

Potter's only response was to spit in his face. The bastard laughed manically and turned to retrieve an old, bloodstained book from his throne. The book opened automatically to a page and he began to chant the spell. Once his was done he placed the book, still opened to the page, onto his throne. 

 

"Now my faithful none of you will leave this place. You will all guard my prisoner until I'm ready to finalize the sex-slave curse. Shall we escort Potter to his new home?"

 

The Death Eaters followed their Lord into the dungeons to make Potter at home and Severus hung back long enough to snag the book. He would have to wait for his chance to bring the boy home. He followed the rest down into the depths and as he walked his mind was searching frantically for a solution to his dilemma. 

 

That night at dinner Lucius read out the guard roster and positions and it was then that Severus was able to form a plan, one that he wouldn't be able to implement until the third morning.

 

The third morning after witnessing the curse the Dark Lord cast upon Potter dawned and the sun would have found Severus in the kitchen injecting the eggs with a sleeping potion that would not break down in extreme heat, had there been a window anywhere in the building. Severus was glad of his normal routine of eating only bread for breakfast as he slid into place with the rest who would be guarding Potter that morning. He was going to be stationed outside the cell door with Goyle and the potion he laced the eggs with should act about an hour into his watch. Now all he had to do was wait for it to work.

 

Harry woke in the dark damp cell he couldn't sense anyone in the bare room with him, not that he could do anything if there was. His body was nothing but one giant ache and he shivered in the cold dark room. He did his best to examine the room again and realized that he wasn't in the same cell from before. This one was by far larger than the previous and more importantly it had a door. Instead of a pallet there was a small narrow shelf bed bolted into the wall. 

 

After Voldemort's display of wordless and wandless magic, which bound Harry into place so he couldn't dodge the curse, Harry didn't know how he was supposed to defeat the monster. It was looking more and more likely that he was the one going to die, unless Dumbledore had yet another secret stashed in the sleeves of his robe. Depressed, Harry slumped onto the bed and stared blankly at the wall.

 

He was jerked out of his funk when the door to his cell opened. He didn't know how long he was sitting there vegetating. It didn't really matter how long he was here. If the Order couldn't find him then there was no chance for escape. He turned his attention to the intruder and much to his disgust identified Voldemort. The bastard dragged along several of his followers to watch the show. Harry wasn't sorry to disappoint the bastard, but he wasn't going to cooperate.

 

"Well Potter, now that you've had time to stew, are you going to make it easy on yourself and submit." Voldemort said with amusement evident in his voice.

 

Harry didn't answer. All he did was glare in Voldemort's general direction.

 

"I am going to enjoy raping you for the rest of your miserable life," Voldemort hissed in parceltongue. "When I've gained control of the ministry I'll drain you of your magic and dump you in a gutter, where your mudblood mother should have stayed." Voldemort smirked as best he could with his lipless mouth before switching back to English. "Yes, I'll dump you in a gutter when your usefulness is at an end. Now one will ever want anything to do with you once I've had my fill of you." Voldemort's lackeys laughed, but it abruptly stopped the minute Harry began to speak.

 

"You'd better leave room for yourself then. You're blood's dirtier than mine." Harry smirked at the sudden silence. He was going to love doing this. "I found a rather interesting book while going through the belongings I inherited from the Black family vaults. It details the births of every child who exists in pure-blooded lines. Your maternal grandfather is a muggle. Tommy-boy. By your standards you shouldn't be pushing the pureblood party line."

 

"Where are the keys?" Lucius hissed at Harry.

 

"What keys?"

 

"The keys to the Black family vaults. They are Draco's by right! He is the last surviving male member of the Blacks."

 

"Actually he's not. Besides when you signed the marriage contract to Narcissa, you obviously didn't read the fine print. Neither did Lestrange. The contracts strictly say that none of your offspring can claim any of the Black family properties." Harry smirked evilly at the man who surprisingly was turning bright red.

 

"You're full of it, Potter," said a very familiar drawl. Harry was wondering when the ferret was going to join the throng.

 

"Actually I'm not. You're not even a pureblood. Your mother isn't even a black. Didn't you ever question why you're mother is blond when every member of the Black family had black hair? It's a magical family trait, like your father's family's trade mark blonde hair." Harry squinted in the direction of Malfoy's voice and believed he saw the blurry shape squirm. "Your grandmother got angry about her husbands constant abuse and decided to have an affair with a muggle man. The fact she carried the man's child was an added bonus. When your grandfather found out he couldn't do anything about it since he claimed Narcissa as his own. Since he couldn't trust that the other two girls were or not he made sure his belongs went back to the main branch of the family, namely his older brother."

 

"Shit." Was the only sound out of the younger Malfoy who fled, his father following closely behind him.

 

"My faithful, you may play with him, but no rapes. That will be my privilege." Voldemort told his followers, rage literally pouring off him.

 

Harry knew no more for more than a day after blackness claimed him part way through the toture. Harry woke up during what he supposed was the morning of the third day. He could only guess since he didn't have any light to judge by. He was fine during the early morning despite being a little sore from the events a day or so ago. As the 'day' progressed he became increasing aware of pain shooting along his nerves and he wondered if it was that curse at work. He did his best to ignore the rising agony. He noticed it was beginning to become more and more difficult for him to breathe and the pain worsened in leaps and bounds. Shortly after he collapsed his cell door opened and a black robed form entered and kneeled beside him.

 

"Come on, Potter. We've only got a short time before everyone wakes up to get out of here." Snape hauled Harry to his feet, but he promptly collapsed wheezing desperately to get air into his lungs.

 

Snape hissed when he realized how poor a shape Harry was in. The man wasted no motion as he shocked Harry by swiftly wrapping him in a stolen robe and lifting him off the ground. Harry closed his eyes and tried to be as still as possible so as to not hinder their escape. He didn't know why Snape was doing this, the man made no secret about his feelings towards Harry. The pain increased as Snape ran down the hallways to the exit and Harry gave up trying to reason his way through the mystery. He felt the cool breeze flow over them as Snape escaped the strong hold. The last thing Harry heard was the crack of Disapperation.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Curse  
Chapter 3  
By Corgi**

Severus apparated to his family lands with an unconscious Harry in his arms. He opted for his ancestral home since it was even more secure than Hogwarts. Thanks to an overly paranoid ancestor, a contemporary of Hogwarts' founders, the above ground manor that the family entertained in was a ruse, a decoy filled with transfigured rubbish for furniture and décor. The only 'real' belongings occupying the house were the portraits, but they were cheaply made replicas of the real ones in the true manor. The portraits had a spell imbedded in them that propelled the occupant back into the original ones incase something happened to the decoy house. The actual family manor was underground several hundred miles away. Like the Ministry offices, the windows of Snape Manor were spelled to show various outdoor views, but none that gave away the location of his home.

 

Severus ran to the secret entrance to his home, hoping that it wasn't too late to save Harry. In his desperation he didn't noticed that he was using the boy's given name instead of Potter. Once he appeared in the entranceway, he bolted up the staircase to his right and ran down the hallway. He kicked the door to his bedroom open and placed Harry on the bed. A flick of his wand lit the fireplace and torches. He rummaged in his nightstand for the vial of pain relief potion he kept in there and slowly trickled the concoction down the boy's throat. Hopefully it will take the edge off of Harry's suffering while he researched the curse used on him. Knowing the Dark Lord as well as he did, the bastard probably was lying about the spell he used and the lack of a counter to it. Severus remembered the incantation perfectly and searched through the book for the spell the Dark Lord used. He found the appropriate page after twenty minutes of searching, hampered by the now frequent moans of pain being uttered by Harry. The curse was progressing faster that it should have, unless the Dark Lord used the curse earlier on the boy and casting he witness was a staged one. It would make sense for him to do that. The Order always foiled his plans at the very last possible moment.

 

As Severus read through the spell's description and history, a feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. The Dark Lord told the truth this time. He closely reread the conditions of the curse in the hope of finding a loophole.

 

_The Nexi Nexum Intercipio Secus Curse was introduced during the late 1700's to early 1800's when the brides of arranged marriages would either run off or take men other than their spouses into their beds. The spell was intended to keep the bride faithful and insure the husband's holdings went to legitimate sons. The spell was later used to insure the fidelity of brides for second and third sons as well as faithful vassals. The spell would be cast by the father/liege lord and the son or vassal would complete the spells requirements, thus binding the bride to the individual in question. One curious fact about this spell is it can only be cast by a wizard. No witch has successfully cast the spell. The most likely reason is the requirement of ejaculation into the target to seal the spell, which is why it works when the intended person is male as opposed to female._

_When the spell became corrupted by those using it beyond contractual uses, the spells parameters were changed. Instead of preventing desire for anyone other than the caster, often times producing a false one for the casting the spell, the altered spell required that the victim have sex with the castor, a blood relative of said wizard, or a person under oath to serve, and the intercourse must be had before the close of the third day of casting and must be repeated every third day. If it does not occur with in that time span, the victim suffers an agonizing death. The body's pain receptors fire constantly, much like the effects of a Cruciatus Curse, and as it progresses the muscles in the chest cavity begin a slow paralyzation. Eventually the victim suffocates to death unless the required intercourse occurs. Brain damage becomes a distinct possibility if the victim is allowed to go to the brink of death repeated before the requirements are met._

 

The entry on the curse went on to discuss the similarity and differences to several other curses and Severus ignored them in order to ponder his predicament. The whole thing struck him as being too easy. His ability to get his hands on the book and his fortuitous morning guard duty set off all his alarms in hind sight. No matter, if it was a set up as his instincts were telling him then there was nothing he could do about it at this time. What did matter was the decision he made about Harry's immediate trouble. He had two choices and neither was acceptable. The matter truly came down to which fate was worse for Harry and the wizarding world. If he died their world would be enslaved and if he lived only he and Harry suffered.

 

Severus glanced over at Harry and noticed the young man's face was slowly turning blue. The sight cemented his choice and he rifled through his robes for the vile of aphrodisiac he kept on hand for those times Lucius was feeling randy. He downed the vile quickly and disrobed just as fast. Another fumble through his nightstand ended with a vile of lubricant being extracted. He climbed into his bed and unwrapped Harry from the cloak he stole.

 

Harry was barely breathing and he hurriedly turned the boy onto his stomach. He tucked a pillow under the boy's hips and did his best to keep himself under control now that the aphrodisiac kicked in. Once he had Harry positioned he oiled his fingers and quickly prepared Harry for penetration. Harry didn't have the time for him to be gentle and he swiftly oiled his cock. He positioned himself at Harry's opening and began to push in. He did his best not to force himself in too quickly. He didn't want to rip the boy opened as he tried to save his life. Despite the need not to hurt Harry, he found himself fully sheathed and he didn't stop to acclimate himself. He began to thrust quickly; there was no time for finesse and Harry's face turned darker and darker. 

 

The boy was so tight around him and it felt so good around him. His self-respect took a tumble as that thought repeated itself in his head. He rutted like a teenager and could restrain the disgust at himself as he did so. He was raping a student, never mind the fact that the act was saving the boy's life. He could feel his peak getting closer and he spared a small corner of his mind wondered if it was in time to save the boy. It was quickly overwhelmed by his body's recognition of the pleasure curling deep inside him. His mind was lost in the bliss of friction against his cock as he pounded into the attractive body beneath him. The thoughts in his mind combined with the warmth encasing him drove him over the edge and he came with a scream. He had to fight for consciousness as darkness threatened to take him. He just had the best orgasm of his life and that fact hit him like a sledge hammer to the gut. He couldn't believe himself. The feelings he just had make him feel utterly filthy, tainted and he didn't know how anyone was going to forgive him for this. He knew he'd never forgive himself.

 

He looked down at Harry and noticed a vast improvement as the color slowly returned to his face. He body was forcing great gulps of air into his lungs, trying as quickly as possible to regain the oxygen it lost. Severus went into the bathroom to get a towel and dampen a wash cloth. He quickly returned to the bed and gently wiped away the dribbled semen and lubricant from the boy and himself. He then gently cleaned the cuts and welts from the Death Eaters' torture. Once they boy was cleaned up, Severus carefully pulled the blankets and bedspread out from under the limp body. He climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets over them both, making sure Harry was completely covered. He drew the still form to his chest and adjusted them so they'd both be comfortable. He tried, but couldn't go to sleep. The horrors of what he had done ran through his mind. He couldn't help but wonder what Albus would say, or do. He had a good guess as to the Weasley's reactions. If they ever found a counter to this curse he was as good as dead. It would be a race to see who did him in first.

 

As he laid there staring blindly at the far wall, he did something he hadn't done since he was three. He cried. He didn't know why he was or who he was crying for. He just did. He lost all concept of time as he was lost in mind. Swirling though his tortured thoughts was 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Harry'. He never realized that he was saying it out loud, or that the body he held was slowly regaining consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Please bear with me everyone. I am now the proud mother of a third baby girl and she was driving nuts while I was pregnant and she's twice as bad on the outside. Updating will be sporadic, but hopefully once school starts and my other two are out of the house my life will settle down.

 

AN2: I mentioned that StarKindler was also planning to write a story with this bunny in the first chapter. Unfortunately her muse seems to be running in other fandoms and she hasn't even started her story. If anyone still wants her yahoo group addy and/or website addy feel free to email me.

**The Curse  
Chapter 4  
By Corgi**

Harry slowly woke and tried to make out his surroundings despite the lack of glasses. He remembered the cell and being tortured by the Death Eaters, but he didn't feel like he was lying on the 'bed' in the dungeons they hid him in. His body ached all over and as he cautiously stretched his body a sharp pain brought him to a halt. He felt like crying, but he ruthlessly suppressed the tears. He knew they'd be watching him and he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing his tears. As stilled and curled up into a ball, he became aware of a soft murmuring in the room. He shifted carefully and moved closer to the edge of the 'bed' in preparation to escape whoever was in the room with him. He was gently pulled backwards and against a warm flat chest. Once his was settled against the other person, the arm secured him in place and the mystery man's head rested on his shoulder. Now that he was closer to the source of the murmuring he could make out the words.

 

Over and over the voice said 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Harry.' Harry couldn't figure out for the life of him why someone was apologizing to him? It was Voldemort's fault his life was in shambles. If the bastard didn't lie to him then he wouldn't survive much longer. He guessed he was hidden away in Hogwarts since the bed was much too large to be the one in his cell. The Order must have found him and rescued him, but not before it was too late. As he thought all this through another thought nagged at him and it had to do with the mystery person in bed with him. Harry listened closely to the voice and it sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. It was as if he was hearing a softer version of the voice when all he was used to hearing was yelling. 

 

He laid as still as he could and was surprised to feel something wet drip on him. It was slightly warm and as the wetness ran down the back of his next he couldn't repress the shiver the drops caused. The person behind him sat up and helped him do the same.

 

"How are you feeling, Harry?" The blurry black topped form asked quietly.

 

"Professor Snape?" Harry replied after peering closely at the washed out form.

 

"Yes."

 

"I guess I'm okay, though I ache all over." Harry replied uncertainly. He didn't know whether to mention the other pain in his body.

 

"I'll get you a numbing potion. I'll be right back." 

 

Snape slid out of the bed and to Harry's shock the man was completely nude. His mind tried to wrap itself around that fact and then with a snap of shock all the pieces fell into place. He couldn't believe the conclusion he came to though it made sense given what Snape was murmuring when he woke up. Harry curled up into a ball on the bed and waited for his professor's return. He didn't have long to wait.

 

"Drink this one first. It'll fix your eyesight permanently. I never could figure out why Poppy never offered it you in the first place." Snape said placing the vile into Harry's hand once he sat up again. Harry downed the potion quickly and handed the empty container back to Snape. "Close your eyes while the potion works. They'll be a brief stabbing pain, but it shall recede quickly and when it does open your eyes slowly."

 

It happened exactly the way Snape said it would and Harry sucked in a deep breath as the pain flared into existence. As quickly as it came it was gone and Harry slowly opened his eyes. At first the world was still blurry, but his eyes recovered quickly and everything snapped into focus. Snape was sitting on the edge of the bed watching him. He had put on a night shirt and had a second in his hand along with a second potion. Harry noticed that the man's eyes were red rimmed as if he was crying. Wordlessly the man passed first then nightshirt then the potion to Harry who took them wordlessly. Harry put on the offered clothing and swallowed down the potion, buying himself time to ask the question he needed to ask. He was going to dread the answer.

 

"Professor, did you… Did you…?" Harry tried with all his might, but couldn't force the question out. He glanced up at Snape and realized that he didn't have to complete his question. Snape knew exactly what he was trying to ask.

 

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I did. I had no choice. It was either rape you or let you die." Snape stood up and walked to the desk next to the bed. He picked up a book and brought it back. "We'll have to it again until someone finds the counter curse or develops one." Snape handed Harry the book, which Harry almost dropped in shock. 

 

Harry looked closely at Snape before turning his attention to the book and the page it was opened to. It took him several moments to focus on the page. His mind kept flashing images of Snape's face. He'd never seen the man show so much emotion before. He saw sorrow and self loathing, something Harry was very familiar with. He saw it in the mirror every morning. He concentrated on the book before him and read the entry. It was then that it dawned on him that this was the book Voldemort used to cast the curse on him. Snape blew his cover? For him? Harry didn't know what to think as he read about the curse that was used on him. He felt the colour drain from his face as he read about the curse's requirements. He'd have to have sex with Snape every three days. He didn't know what to think. He was still discovering his own sexuality before this nightmare started and now he'd never have that chance to. Never mind the fact that during the first few weeks of summer he started having dreams of sharing his bed with a man, the man that stood silently before him. A tentative dream that will never be more than a nightmare now, after all he knew the man hated him and was bound to do so even more now.

 

He wordlessly handed the book back to Snape, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the blankets covering him. He couldn't look at Snape and he didn't think he'd be able to look at himself in the mirror ever again. Even if they managed to find a counter to this curse, who would ever want anything to do with him? He was a tarnished now and really no one wants anything to do with a fallen hero. They've proven that many times over the years. His thoughts spiraled downwards until Snape's voice broke the cycle.

 

"Harry?"

 

"Yes, Professor." Harry responded, his voice sounding dull to him.

 

"Are you alright?" Concern was evident in the man's soft voice.

 

"No. Yes. I don't know. I don't know what to say or think." Tears filled Harry's eyes and this time he didn't bother to hold them back. He felt a tentative hand touch his shoulder and he glanced up through his eyelashes and saw that Snape was watching him carefully with a great deal of sorrow showing in his normally cold tunnel-like eyes.

 

"Did you understand what you read?" Snape said softly and Harry could hear the regret the man had over the whole situation.

 

"Yes."

 

"Then you understand that we have to continue this." Snape said even more softly than before and Harry just nodded. "Let me know when the pain begins. You shouldn't allow it to become too much for you to handle." Harry only nodded again. "I'm sorry, Harry, you seem to be part of a trap the Dark Lord laid out for me. Fool that I am I fell right into it without thinking."

 

Harry looked up in surprise at the revelation. Snape's thoughts were turned inward and Harry took the moment to study the man that had been an enigma all his life. Snape was lean, almost nothing more than skin and whipcord and had their situation been different desire would be running through Harry's veins. As it was the horror of being forced together by Voldemort was predominant in Harry's thoughts and he didn't know what else Snape was thinking. He wondered if the man resented having to be the one to rescue Harry from this situation. Never mind the fact that he was the only one to prevent Harry's death due to the dark mark on his arm, the constant reminder of his oath of loyalty to Voldemort. It was too much for Harry and his mind decided that he needed more sleep. As he slid back down into the bed Snape refocused on him.

 

"Tired?" He asked and Harry nodded. "Would you like a Dreamless Sleep Potion?"

 

Harry thought for a moment before nodding again and watched as Snape rummaged in the nightstand for a vial of the sleeping potion. Once the man found it he handed it to Harry.

 

"We'll leave for Hogwarts in three days time. We'll have to do it again before we leave for the school." Snape said softly trying to gauge how he was by looking him in the eye. 

 

Harry refused to look up and downed the potion as quickly as he could. The last thing he remembered was feeling Snape's hand trail gently through his hair before the potion completed its task of sending him into oblivion.


	5. Chapter 5

  
Author's notes: Harry is kidnapped by Death Eaters after his birthday. Instead of killing him outright, Voldemort curses him with a banned and little known sex-slave curse. There is no known counter for the curse and Harry's rescued by the only person who can save him.  
A/N: This story comes from a plot bunny donated by Sarah from the SnapexHarry ML at Yahoo! Groups.   


* * *

**The Curse  
Chapter 5  
By Corgi**

Harry woke again in the bed and this time he noticed Snape's presence in the bed. After all it's hard to overlook an arm wrapped protectively around one. His back was nestled against the chest of the man, who was spooned against him. Though he felt safe he was distinctly uneasy. The man raped him while he was unconscious and he didn't know if he could trust the man ever. Despite being attracted to the man he could feel the fear bubbling up in him. Harry slid out from under Snape's arm and searched for the bathroom. After several long minutes and several wrong turns he finally found the room. As he relieved himself he debated showering and decided that a bath would be perfect. It would help ease those still sore muscles and he'd have some time to himself to think.

 

He ran the water into the deep tub and stared blankly at the steam that rose off the water. The tap was spelled to turn off when the tub was filled and it was a good thing since Harry's mind was elsewhere and he didn't notice the water level. Once he came to his senses he stripped out of the oversized night sure and slowly stepped into the hot water. The heat felt good to the tight muscles in his back. He couldn't recall the number of times he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse while in the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Unfortunately recollection of his capture led him back to the topic he was avoiding.

 

He still didn't know what to do about this situation. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life being forced to bed someone who hates him. He wanted a family and there was no way any potential partner would be willing to share him with another. Snape didn't seem the family type to begin with, nor the sharing type come to think of it. He couldn't help wondering to himself if Snape enjoyed raping him. That thought led to him trying to picture what it felt like to have the man thrusting in him. Would he have enjoyed it had the situation been normal? Was he gay? His thoughts led him to wondering if Snape looked the way his dreams imagined him when he came. As he mind continued to wander the pathways he it wandered onto, his body began to stir at the images his brain conjured. It was a normal teenaged reaction when anything remotely related to sex came up, Harry knew that, but he couldn't help feeling like his body betrayed him. He tried to think of something that would turn him off, but his mind stubbornly returned to sex and Snape. 

 

Giving up on willing his erection away he slowly began to stroke his rebellious piece of flesh. He tried to think of other people. Thoughts of Oliver, Fred and George, and various other gents quickly dissolved into the sour Potions Master. His hand quickened on its own accord and on each upward stroke he ran his thumb over the swollen head of his cock. He allowed his mind to play what ever fantasies it wanted and went along for the ride. All his recent night time dreams flashed through his mind's eye and his hand moved faster still. He could feel his impending explosion curling in the pit of his stomach and when an image of Snape devouring his cock swirled into his imagination he came. Dorm room cohabitation made his stifle the loud moan he would have made. He lay in the water panting and watching the cloudy form of his cum drift in the current his movement made. 

 

Suddenly he no longer thought a bath was a good idea and hurriedly washed. Just as quickly he dried himself off and donned the nightshirt Snape gave him. He hoped that he could find his way back to the room. Though he only been in a couple of hallways he had the impression that this place was huge. Luck was on his side this time as he managed to find the bedroom without any wrong turns. Snape wasn't in the room and on the bed was a set of clothes, in black of course. Harry didn't know if they were intended for him, but the question was answered when Snape returned carrying a tray.

 

"The clothes are for you. They were mine from when I was your age. I spelled them as best I could since clothing my father thought was suitable does not respond to altering spells proper, so they may still be too big for you." Snape told him when he noticed Harry eyeing the clothes.

 

"Thanks, Professor." Harry said quietly, still not sure about trusting the man.

 

"Severus."

 

"What?" Harry jerked his head in surprise and looked wide-eyed at his Professor.

 

"Call me Severus. Our situation is awkward enough without you calling me Professor or sir every moment." Snape had a small encouraging smile on his face, which left Harry dumbstruck. Snape, no Severus, smirked at Harry's reaction. "What's wrong, Harry? Did you think that my face would crack if I smiled?"

 

"No I didn't put my money on that one. It's just a surprise that's all." Harry couldn't help thinking that he looked handsome when he smiled. It washed away the frown, or was that scowl, lines from his face.

 

"I didn't think that pool was still going on in Gryffindor." Severus smiled at him and a slightly mischievous light lit his eyes. "So where did you put your money?"

 

Harry blinked at the man curiously and realized he was trying to get Harry used to his presence to put him at his ease. Part of him screamed not to trust the man while the rest was more than willing to let the man closer. Harry decided not to make the situation any more stressful then it already was.

 

"I bet that after they war you'll throw Draco Malfoy off the Astronomy Tower." Harry replied, allowing a very small smile of his own.

 

"Too bad he wouldn't go very far. The Tower is spelled to keep the more troubled students from leaping off it."

 

"Oh well, I guess it's the thought that counts." Harry leapt a bit in surprise when he heard the man actually chuckle. The sound made him stare stupidly at the dark-haired man, which made him laugh even harder. 

 

"I've made some soup for lunch. Why don't you sit and eat, I know it's been too long for you to go without some form of nourishment."

 

They sat and ate in silence, which ranged from awkward to comfortable several times. Harry did his best not to dwell on what they had to do two mornings from now, but even not trying to think about it peaked a certain body part's interest. He could feel himself flush in embarrassment and hoped that the other man didn't notice. Hope abandoned him when he felt the man's gaze on him. He tried his hardest not to look up at him. The man always had this uncanny ability to read him like a book and he didn't want him to know about the state he was in. He still was so confused and his hormones weren't helping any.

 

"I've got some work to do in my laboratory. In the cabinet next to my desk are my old school texts if you wish to look at them. My notes in are in the bottom right hand draw of the next and fresh parchment, quills, and ink are in the upper left." Severus told him when they finished their meal. "You may want to get a head start on your class work despite the fact that those books aren't used for the classes anymore."

 

After Severus left the room carrying the tray, Harry wandered a bit around the areas he stumbled into earlier. All the windows were heavily curtained and he struggled to move a few out of the way enough for him to look out them. Each window, despite the fact many of them faced the same direction, had a different view. Some showed a desert, others the moors, some a forest and others the plains. Harry was very curious, but being curious about Severus led to trouble so he buried his inquisitiveness.

 

Bored with just wandering around he opened the cabinet that contained Severus' old school books and the draws containing his notes and began looking at the 6th year transfiguration notes, occasionally back tracking to refresh his memory on related topics from previous years. He remained that way until Severus returned with dinner several hours later.

 

Severus woke when he heard a door shut elsewhere in the manor. It wasn't far away and it took him a few moments to remember he had a guest in the house. He was worried about the boy and frankly he was at a loss as to what to do. He was part of the boy's trouble and didn't know if he'd be part of the solution too. Hell, he didn't know what to do to fix his own problems. 

 

Gods, Albus was going to kill him when he returned Hogwarts with Harry. If for some unlikely reason the man allows him to live he could count the moments he'll get to breathe before Minerva or Molly get their claws into him. His life was in shambles before this mess and now he was taking Harry along with him. He was so confused and lost. Guilt for what he had to do to Harry in order to save the boy's life ate him. Yes, he felt culpability for those he killed during his stint as a Death Eater when he was young and gullible, but raping the boy in his mind was tantamount to killing a unicorn. The boy was so beautiful in his eyes he couldn't help making the caparison. He can't help feeling he tainted the boy, but couldn't stop the surge of protectiveness that drove him to hold the boy against him as the younger slept. He damaged what little trust the boy had in him and he didn't think he could ever gain it back again. He could only pray that the boy would someday forgive him.

 

Deciding that he needed to change gears he headed to the other bathroom on this floor and took care of his normal morning routine, never mind the fact that it was now noon. He made his way to the attic and looked for the clothes his father insisted on packing away. It never made sense to Severus, but right now he needed his old clothes since Harry had none here. After searching the whole attic he found the trunk full of his belongings buried against the far wall. He grabbed several trousers and shirts and after a few moments digging found some socks and a relatively decent pair of shoes. 

 

He brought his finds down stairs and did his best to reduce them to Harry's size. His father had odd ideas about what was appropriate to wear and his old clothes were impossible to spell into a proper fit. He glanced at his handy work and determined that this was the best he was going to do with the blasted things. He hoped the boy wouldn't be too insulted at the oversized clothes. His stomach rumbled as he contemplated what to do with himself and decided that Harry would definitely be starving, or should be. He made his way down to the kitchen and found the dried vegetables and meats. It's been a while since he was here and didn't plan on returning this summer so he hadn't stocked fresh foodstuffs this year. He made due with the dry and made a soup. He had to figure out a way to contact Albus. This old place didn't have a place to keep owls so his owl had a perch in both the real and decoy manors that were spell to portkey it from one place to the other. If he was lucky Athena would make her way here once she realized Severus wasn't at the school.

 

When their meal was ready he made his way back upstairs and found Harry in the bedroom looking at the clothes as if he was trying to figure out if they were for him or not. He had told the boy that they were for him and when he mentioned that they may be too big on him he didn't get any reaction at all. That lack of reaction surprised him and he in turn surprised the boy by allowing him to see some of his personality that he kept hidden from everyone save Albus. The young man seemed troubled and Severus knew it had to be him, but kept an eye out for other troubles that could be affecting him. While they ate Severus catalogued what he thought he would need for their upcoming trials. He knew he needed a better lubricant than he kept in his draw and some more of the aphrodisiac wouldn't hurt. He had the feeling the boy would wait until the very last moment to come to him and knew that without help there was no way he could function. 

 

He cleared the table and offered Harry the use of his old school books and notes. He made a mental note to spell the boy into the library's wards so he could go there to research anything the books didn't explain, but for now he needed to prepare those potions for to break the curse's next cycle. 

 

Once in his lab he lost himself in his art and didn't come up from trance-like dance until it was late. He looked at his work bench and was surprised at how much he truly did and felt better for having locked his current problem away in his head for a little while. He pulled out a basket and placed the vials of aphrodisiac, lubricant and, oddly enough, massage cream in it to take upstairs. Once he cleaned up he returned to the kitchen and started a stew out of some of the left over stores. He hoped the boy would be able to eat it. The Dark Lord wasn't known for his hospitality and most likely starved the boy during his confinement. 

 

Dinner went the same way lunch did and this time Severus was able to figure out that the boy was confused. He had every right to be. After all he never did have time to experiment like many of his peers did last year. Between Occlumency lessons and Umbridge's detentions he didn't have much free time to cuddle up to someone. He didn't hear any of the teachers gossiping about him spending a large amount of time with anyone either. He decided that they needed to spend more time getting used to each other's presence. It may make their next encounter easier on them. When he noticed Harry starting to play with the remains of his dinner he got up and tapped the boy on the shoulder to get his attention.

 

"I think we should talk, Harry." Severus told the younger man and then led him over to the bed. When they settled Harry drew his knees up into his chest and watched Severus warily. "How are you feeling?" He asked while observing the younger wizard.

 

"Fine, I guess." Harry answered quietly. "When do we have to do umm…"

 

"When do we have to have intercourse again?" Severus filled in for the painfully embarrassed boy. "The morning after tomorrow is when we must deal with the curse's requirements. You must let me know when the pain begins. We don't want to let it go on too long before we stop it."

 

"What's going to happen when we get back to Hogwarts?" 

 

"I'm not sure, but we'll have to arrange a time to meet when the curse's requirements need to be satisfied. Other than that you'll be fussed over and Albus will be raking me over the coals unless he's developed a cruel streak, and then I'll be staked out for Minerva to take her ire out on." Severus replied hoping to get some sort of smile out of the boy.

 

Harry failed to smile and instead began to tremble ever so slightly. Severus pulled himself closer to the young man and reached out cautiously to touch him, as if he was a wild animal he was trying to tame. Harry simultaneously tried to cower away and lean into the touch. Severus touched him with a surer hand and when the boy dissolved into tears he awkwardly pulled him into an embrace. When his trembling stopped Severus loosened his hold a bit and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. He almost didn't hear the boy's next question as he started to get lost in his own thoughts.

 

"What am I going to tell my friends?"

 

"What you tell your friends is up to you. I don't know them well enough to guess their reactions. My best educated guess is that Ms. Granger would be the one to take the news in stride and demand to help with the research that Flitwick will most like be doing to finding a counter to this."

 

"What about the Death Eater's kids? Are they going to spread this around the school in September?" Harry's voice was shaking and Severus could feel what little colour he had drain out of his face.

 

"The Dark Lord will probably order them to make it known just to cause trouble." Harry let out a moan of despair as the news penetrated his mind. "Don't worry, Harry. Everything will be fine. It'll work out." Severus repeated over and over to the distressed teen even though he didn't believe it himself.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Curse  
Chapter 6  
By Corgi**

The next day went passed with nothing more notable then Harry reading and Severus working in his lab. The two men thrown together knew nothing about the chaos that was occurring in the world outside Snape Manor. The entire wizarding world was in a panic because of Harry's disappearance and the Ministry had all their Aurors searching for some clues to his whereabouts. Members of the order could do nothing but wait for news. No one was able to find a trace of Severus and they all began to fear the worst. Severus always managed to get word to Albus when he was going to be delayed and when no message came the ever present light in the old wizards eyes dimmed even more.

 

Huddled in one corner of 12 Grimmauld Place's sitting room was a clump of red-heads mourning the loss of their adoptive child. The werewolf sat in a window seat and stared blankly out of the window. No one knew what was going on in his mind. On the window sill sat a snowy owl, who was the only one in the room not mourning. The bird gave them all a look of contempt and flew into the foyer of the old house. When the door opened to allow another Order member entrance she took to the air and flew through the open door. She circled the house several times until her senses attuned to the bond she had with her boy and when she had her direction she shot off into the morning sun. 

 

The white owl flew surely in a north-eastern direction and as fast as he wings could carry her. She had to stop once or twice along the way to rest, but she never stayed to long. As soon as her energy revived she took to the air once more, determined to be reunited with her master. She felt the pull of their bond strengthen as she continued on her journey and when she felt she was near she paused in her mission once again to rest and hunt. After catching and devouring a couple of mice she caught sight of a discarded edition of the Daily Prophet. The page had a picture of her boy and she snagged the abandoned paper and flew off again in search of Harry.

 

She closed in on the area where her bond was telling her Harry was and as she approached she became confused. There was nothing but trees as far as she could see. Hedwig circled the whole area hoping for a clue and with an irritated hoot came to roost on a branch in the forest. She looked closely at her surroundings hoping to find some trace of a human's presence in the landscape and she failed to find one. She moved to another tree and as she flew to her chosen spot a field mouse broke cover and ran up the path to escape. Hedwig followed its path with her sharp eyes and suddenly it disappeared. Being the bright owl that she was determined that it was magic and made a beeline towards the spot the mouse vanished from.

 

A flash of light blinded her momentarily and she found herself in a marble foyer. She flew deeper into the building she found herself in and looked closely for any signs of her boy. Her sharp ears heard the sounds of someone moving about and the smell of soup assaulted her nostrils. She flew in the direction both sounds and smells came from and found an airy looking kitchen with a familiar looking man standing in front of a stove. She dropped the paper onto the table and perched on the back of a chair. She hooted softly to alert the man that she was there and leapt away from her perch when the man whipped around firing a spell at the spot she was at. Hedwig watched warily from on top of a cabinet as the tall man looked closely at her.

 

"You're Harry's owl aren't you?" He asked quietly after putting his wand away.

 

Hedwig hooted and bobbed her head as an answer. When the man offered her his arm as a perch she stepped cautiously onto his arm and allowed him to bring her back to the table. When she stepped onto the table she drew his attention to the paper she dropped there earlier. She watched as he opened the paper and read the contents.

 

"Do you know if they retrieved Harry's belongings from his relative's home?" Hedwig shook her head and waited for the next question. "Would you run a few errands for me?" 

 

Again Hedwig nodded and waited anxiously. She wanted to see her boy though she would run the needed tasks, but the man didn't get a chance to make his requests because her boy showed up. She launched herself to greet her master and she looked him over with a critical eye, not seeing any noticeable damaged she settled on his shoulder.

 

"Hedwig, you made it out okay." Harry ruffled her feathers as she nipped his ear, fingers and whatever else she could reach from her new perch. "When did she get here, Pro… Severus." 

 

"Just a few minutes ago." The tall man moved back to the stove and Hedwig watched her boy and his teacher. She noticed they were uncomfortable with each other, but she could figure out why. "Your owl agreed to run a few errands for me so she'll be heading out after lunch."

 

"Are you going to write to the headmaster?"

 

"Yes, everyone is panicking because of your disappearance. I'll have to let him know we're alive and we'll be returning to Hogwarts tomorrow evening." Hedwig watched the Potions Master scoop out bowls of soup for her boy and himself. He even provided a plate of vegetables and meat that he cooled for her. "I'll ask for some supplies to get us through tonight and early tomorrow. We'll head back to Hogwarts via portkey after lunch."

 

Hedwig felt something oppressive change the atmosphere between the two and knew it had something to do with why they weren't comfortable around each other. She also knew it wasn't their age old hostility from school. She'd recognize that a mile away. It really didn't matter if she couldn't figure it out. Her boy will tell her what was going on soon enough, just like he tells her everything else. She was content to wait.

 

"Eat your lunch, Harry." The Potions Master said as he sat down to eat his own meal. "I'll write to the Headmaster when we're done. Perhaps you'll write to your friends and Lupin. The sooner she heads out the sooner she'll return." 

 

"Are you still brewing downstairs?" Hedwig watched the Potions Master nod and tilt his head in a questioning matter, much like many of her kind does. "May I come down and help? I'm bored just sitting around and reading. I don't have my assignments so I can't even do those."

 

"That will be fine. I'm mostly working on balms for the Hospital Wing. When we return to Hogwarts I could use your help prepping for Lupin's Wolfsbane Potion. I don't have the ingredients here so I can't start the base."

 

"Okay, Severus." Hedwig's boy replied and began eating while stroking her feathers.

 

When they all had finished their food they made their way upstairs so both humans could write to those waiting at Grimmauld place. Her boy wrote to the Wolf-man and his friends, while the brooding man wrote to the Phoenix's human. Hedwig waited patiently for her orders and they weren't long in coming.

 

"Hedwig, I need you to first go to Hogwarts and find my eagle-owl Athena. Tell her to follow you to Grimmauld Place. You both will need to carry the supplies I've requested back to us. Wait for the Headmaster's reply and follow Athena back here. I'm going to take you to my old room. The perch there will transport you to my family's decoy manor, which is much closer to Hogwarts than this place is and it'll be harder for anyone to track you to here. Understand?"

 

Hedwig glared at the man, insulted that he questioned her intelligence and then nodded after the man chuckled at her reaction. He reached out to offer her his arm and she paused to give an affectionate nip farewell to her boy, before leaping to the man's arm. Once settled on the Potions Master's arm they swiftly made their way up another flight of stairs. The dark-haired man made sure the letters were secure before speaking to her once again.

 

"Safe journey, Hedwig. The door to this room is always opened so don't worry about getting shut in." He told her while ruffling her breast feathers. He hesitated a moment before speaking to her again. "Please return quickly. Harry needs someone to talk to and he certainly won't tell me what he needs to confide. I've got the feeling that you are privy to his most private thoughts, much like my Athena is to mine."

 

With that said he placed her on the perch and she felt the most disturbing sensation of her life. It was much like getting caught in a net and whisked through the air. It wasn't pleasant at all and when she arrived at the other building she only took one second to get her bearings and shot out the window towards Hogwarts.

 

Harry watched silently as Severus left their room carrying Hedwig on his arm. He really wished his owl was staying. He really need to talk to someone and he tended to entrust things he couldn't tell Hermione and Ron to her. He understood the reason why Severus sent her back out, but that didn't mean he had to like it. It wasn't long before Severus returned and led him down to his laboratory in the cellar.

 

For the rest of the afternoon they worked quietly together. Severus would add ingredients to the potions and occasionally prepared the more expensive and hard to get ones, while Harry prepped the rest and cleaned the cauldrons and utensils when each potion was finished and bottled. It was the most comfortable they two had been in each other's company since they arrived her and Harry knew it wasn't going to last.

 

When everything was bottled, packaged or put away they silently retreated upstairs. Waiting for them in the kitchen was Hedwig and Severus' Athena. Both owls had letters and packages tied to their legs and each had a mouse clamped in their beaks. At least they didn't need to hunt after what Harry assumed was a long trip. Harry opened his letters when the owls left and quickly read through them. Basically all everyone said was they were glad he was okay and they'd see him at school in September. Nothing else. It was just like last year. All he wanted to know was things like how the twin's shop was doing, was Ginny still seeing Dean, just the little things. He wanted to feel like he was there and part of the group. He put his letters down with a sigh. When he looked up Severus was watching him with a curious express.

 

"Letters not satisfactory?" He asked as he opened the packages containing already prepared food courtesy of Mrs. Weasley. Severus let out a snort of amusement at the care package. "Mrs. Weasley seems to think because I’m a bachelor that I don't know how to cook."

 

"She does the same thing to Bill and Charlie." Harry replied with a small smile.

 

"Your letters?" Severus prompted when Harry stayed silent.

 

"No they aren't. They really don't say much. I'm beginning to feel like they don't want me around anymore." He said in a dejected voice. "They're not saying much at all, not even how they're doing." 

 

"I'm sure they're just being cautious, Harry." Severus replied in a casual voice while handing him a plate of chicken and vegetables. "Did you write to them during the first part of summer holiday?"

 

"Yeah, I did. I sent them a letter every three days along with the one Mad-eye required me to write to the Order. They never wrote back."

 

"I don't understand why they didn't. The made such a fuss last year when they weren't allowed to tell you anything."

 

Harry lapsed into silence still unsure about his friends' motives and feeling a bit abandoned by their lackluster notes. They ate in silence each lost in their own thoughts. Harry didn't pretend to know what Severus was thinking, but he was stuck on what was going to happened tomorrow morning. He was scared and slightly excited. He mind wondered over and over what it was going to be like. Would he actually enjoy it? He dreaded finding out that he didn't for that would make the situation five times as bad as it already was. 

 

He absent mindedly ate his dinner and didn't realize he finished everything on his plate until he put an empty fork in his mouth. He jolted his mind out of the groove it was running in and looked down at his plate with a sheepish expression. He looked up when he heard Severus' amused chuckle. The look of amusement made the man look completely different than his usual scowling self. Harry was having a hard time comparing the two personas. 

 

"Don't dwell on tomorrow, Harry. You'll just make yourself too tense to sleep." Severus told him while spelling the dished clean and storing the rest of the food Mrs. Weasley sent. "Come on." He added and pushed Harry up the stairs.

 

They both changed into nightclothes in silence and once dressed for the night Harry picked up the text book he was reading hoping to slow his churning thoughts. After fifteen minutes he gave up, especially after re-reading the same line several times over. He shut the book with a sigh and looked around for a clock. When he finally found one he was shocked to find out it he was staring blankly not for the fifteen minutes he thought, but for a full two hours.

 

"Finally given up?" Severus said quietly from his seat by the fireplace causing Harry to jump in surprise.

 

"Yeah, I just didn't realize I zoned out for so long." Harry replied with a blush. "I think I’m going to bed, though I doubt I can sleep."

 

"Do you want a potion?"

 

"No, I don't think so. I may not be able to sleep with out them and Madam Pomfrey rarely gives them to me as it is." 

 

"If you're sure. Goodnight, Harry."

 

"Night, Severus." Harry slid between the sheets and tried to still his thoughts. He didn't succeed in quieting his mind or his body. 

 

He tossed and turned over and over again. He just couldn't get comfortable not matter how he positioned himself. His mind refused to let go of what they had to do tomorrow and it continued to worry it like a dog with a bone. He felt the bed dip as Severus sat on the edge. He was startled when the man's fingers combed through his hair. He looked up in surprise at the man; he'd never thought he would ever see a side other then the biased bastard he was at school. Now that he's continued to see this different side of his teacher he began to feel his crush solidifying into something more substantial, but what it was he didn't know.

 

"Since you can't seem to calm your thoughts I'll help you take your mind off the morning. Now tell me why your relatives thought a dog chasing up a tree was so amusing." 

 

"My relatives don't like me, my mom or anything to do with magic. They did whatever they could to stamp out any magic I may have inherited from my parents. The main problem was I didn't know what my parents were. I didn't remember them and I wasn't allowed to ask questions. They told me my parents were shiftless, lazy people that drunk themselves into a stupor and manage to kill themselves in a car wreck. I was told I was worthless and they made sure that I knew I was an imposition. My Aunt and Uncle spoiled my cousin rotten and didn't spare a glance at me. I ended up with my cousin's old clothes and barely enough food. They didn't even bother to put me in a room. The stuffed me in the cupboard under the stairs until my Hogwarts letter came addressed to it. Then I was tossed into my cousin's spare bedroom that was filled with his broken toys. They loved making sure I knew I was nothing more than dirt beneath feet. I never had any friends or any contact with people outside of school and that wasn't exactly positive."

 

"Now we come to the similarities Albus always insisted there were between us. My father insisted I be home schooled and I had no siblings to share the lessons with. As you may have guess from the one time you managed to break through into my thoughts my father was an utter bastard. He was more concerned about power than anything else. It was he that pushed me into becoming a Death Eater in the first place."

 

"I kind of guessed that." Harry replied very quietly. He didn't want to be reminded of his failure at those lessons. Thinking about them brought back his grief over Sirius' loss.

 

"How did you end up in the girl's bathroom with Weasley, Granger and a troll in your first year? I never did buy Granger's explanation."

 

"It started with Charms that day. We were doing the levitation charm and Ron was mispronouncing the charm while waving his wand madly in the air. Hermione was his partner and she stopped him from putting someone's eye out. He got angry at her corrections and challenged her to do it, which she did on her first try. After class he was making fun of her and she overheard. Parvati told everyone that she had barricaded herself in the girl's bathroom during dinner and then Quirrel came running in with his announcement. When we were on our way back to the dorm I remembered Hermione and forced Ron to come with me to the girl's bathroom to get her. You passed us on our way and then the troll showed up. We locked it into the room it entered not realizing it was the bathroom until Hermione screamed in fright. We reversed direction and charged into the bathroom and in order to distract the stupid thing I jumped on its back. While I was clinging to its back my wand got lodged in its nose and Ron chose that moment to get the levitation charm correct, bouncing the troll's club off of its head." Harry gave a small sheepish smile before continuing. "After the troll hit the floor you three arrived and Hermione jumped in with her story. You know the rest."

 

"Gryffindors." Severus said rolling his eyes and Harry giggled at the response.

 

They continued in that vein for a while, but how long he didn't know. It seems that once he was relaxed he drifted off to sleep. He slept soundly, without nightmares until the early hours of the morning. When he woke he found himself safely ensconced in Severus' arms once again. Did the man truly feel that Harry needed to be protected even in sleep? For some reason Harry felt pleased at the thought instead of angry. He didn't know his own mind and didn't think he was going to anytime soon. This whole situation left him totally unbalanced. Then what they needed to do this morning hit him full force and as he thoughts raced in circles once again he began feeling a pins and needles in his arms and legs. He shrugged the feelings off and determined that he must have cut off the circulation a bit to his limbs. Pushing the discomfort to the back of his mind he began to feel the weight of Severus' stare boring into his back. He turned to look at the man and noticed his somber mood.

 

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take a shower before anything else." Harry told the man in a small voice. He was sure the other could hear the slight fear in his voice.

 

"That's alright. I'm not really up for breakfast myself." Severus replied releasing Harry from his embrace. "Just remember if you're feeling any pain you must let me know immediately." Harry just nodded and quickly slipped out of the bed and made a beeline for the bathroom he used the other morning.

 

When he returned his hair was still wet and he was still wearing the nightshirt. There must have been more than one bathroom on this floor since Severus' hair was still wet when Harry entered the room. Severus took care of drying both heads of hair with a flick of his wand and a muttered spell. He gestured for Harry to join him on the bed. The mixture of excitement and fear filled him again, just like it did last night and he hesitantly joined the older man on the bed. Severus slowly began to undo the buttons on his borrowed night shirt as he whispered in his ear.

 

"Please don't be scared. I won't hurt you. Just let me make this the best experience for you that I can." 

 

The nightshirt hit the floor followed closely by the one Severus was wearing. Severus leaned over him and as a result he was pushed back onto the bed. The older man ran his hands lightly over his body and Harry could feel his body slowly responding to Severus' actions. The pins and needles feeling was still there despite the hot shower, but Severus' ministrations drove all thoughts about that from his mind. When his mouth descended onto his all thought was washed away. It was nothing like kissing Cho, it was far better and any other rational though left him as Severus' tongue swept through. When the need for air became too much for Harry, Severus mouth started working its way lower on his body. He teased his nipples and played with his bellybutton, but when he began to move lower fear seized Harry and caused him to tense up. With out a word Severus stopped and gave him an understanding look. He indicated that Harry should roll onto his stomach and as he obeyed he spotted two vials lying on the pillow next to his. He flushed in embarrassment, which became redder when Severus picked up one of the vials. 

 

The embarrassment turned to surprise when the older man began rubbing oil into his back, slowly teasing the knots of tension out. Severus had talented hands he had to admit even if it was only too himself. He allowed himself to relax under the dark-haired man's administrations. He was feeling so good as the tightened muscles loosened that he didn't protest when Severus manhandled him in order to tuck a pillow beneath his hips. He could feel his cock throbbing as it was caught between the pillow and his stomach. The tingling in his arms and legs began to sharpen, but once again he pushed it to the back of his mind in favour of paying attention to Severus' actions. When one of Severus' long fingers breached the outer ring of muscle he stiffened at the odd sensation.

 

Relax," Severus said, his voice deeper than normal and heavy with something Harry couldn't identify.

 

Severus' free hand began to rib his back again while his other continued to move in and out of his entrance. The discomfort went away after a few moments and once he relaxed Severus slipped a second finger in. Harry hissed at the slight burning pain, but relaxed quickly as the pain faded. Severus murmured continuously through it all. Though Harry couldn't make out what he was saying the sound of the man's voice was comforting. He felt the other man's fingers bend and when the tips touched a spot inside him that sent sparks dancing through his mind he moaned and felt his trapped erection throb even more.

 

Severus began to work a third finger into him the pins and needles Harry was ignoring turned into something much more defined. Lances of pain, much like the Cruciatus Curse, lanced through him and he loosed a shriek of pain as his body convulsed. Panic enveloped him and he began to thrash though it wouldn't do anything to stop the pain. He heard Severus curse and he struggled to clear his vision, which had blurred when another wave of pain hit him, he noticed the Potions Master standing beside the bed, rummaging through the nightstand frantically. When he glanced at the older man he noticed no sign of arousal, or that the man had been. Something inside him withered and he didn't know what it was nor did he have to inclination to find out as another wave of agony rolled over him.

 

Severus pulled another vial from his nightstand and downed it quickly. He retreated to his former position behind him. Harry could hear the man talking to him and he tried to focus through the pain so he could understand what Severus was trying to tell him.

 

"Hang on, Harry. Give me a few moments." He could hear Severus' voice saying and it sounded desperate to Harry. He winced when Severus reinserted his fingers into him and continued to stretch the muscles there. "Breathe, Harry, don't pant. It'll only make the pain worse. Hang in there, it's almost over."

 

He felt Severus' fingers leave him and something larger poke at his opening. Slowly Severus pushed in and Harry tried to pull away as another source of pain assaulted him.

 

"Don't pull away, push back. Trust me, Harry. Please." Severus pleaded with him as he screamed again from the pain the curse sent though him.

 

Harry did his best to comply and found that pushing back onto Severus' prick did help dampen the pain of penetration. He just wished that it wasn't just that sensation that it did so for. Another wave of pain washed over him and shortly after than another followed. He didn't know how much more he could take. He felt Severus' hips connect with his legs and bum and he began to immediately move in and out of Harry's channel. He knew Severus was trying to orgasm as quickly as possible to end Harry's pain, but he couldn't stop the tears nor the thought that he did something wrong. A small part of brain told him he didn't do anything to ruin the pleasure he was starting to feel, but the irrational part drowned out the logical part and tears began to roll down his face. He could feel Severus' movements becoming erratic and he heard the man moan as he thought he felt the man's seed spilling inside him. He couldn't help feeling dirty and used. When Severus gently pulled out he curled into a ball sobbing. His abused muscles were twitching in the aftermath of the curse's punishment and he couldn't stop his tears from falling.

 

"Harry, are you all right?" Severus asked, concern lacing his voice, but Harry didn't answer. "Harry?"

 

He heard Severus run from the room and from somewhere down the hall he the sound of running water could be heard. Severus ran back into the bedroom and scooped him up from the bed. Carrying him swiftly down the hallway he brought him to another bathroom that was filling rapidly with steam. Severus sat on the edge of the tub and turned the water off without releasing his grip on Harry. He gently placed him in the tub, but Harry was lost in his own agony and didn't bother holding himself above the water. He heard Severus swear under his breath and felt the man holding him tightly against his chest. Severus slipped into the bath and leaned Harry against him while holding a vial of some potion to his lips.

 

"Harry, drink this. It'll help stop your muscles from twitching and disperse the residual pain." Harry obediently swallowed the potion and he guessed there might have been another potion in the water, because all pain disappeared, unfortunately so did his consciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

The Curse  
Chapter 7  
By Corgi

 

Severus started slowly with Harry and after a few moments he was able to forget that he was bedding an inexperienced student. Touching Harry's warm flesh allowed the desire to build with in him. When Harry began to respond to his touch he was aroused to the point of delirium. He allowed a small spark of hope to rise with in him and he began to believe that this situation would work in their favour in the long run. Not seconds after the thought crossed his mind, Harry began to scream in agony and it had an instantaneous effect on Severus. The first sound of pain ripped from the younger man's throat withered his erection and he knew that there was no chance for him to recover it without aid of an aphrodisiac. Now he was glad he brewed some the other day, not that he wanted to use it. He muttered a curse and headed to his nightstand to retrieve one of the vials.

 

As he dug in the draw he noted an odd look on the younger man's face and he was filled with foreboding. He wanted to stop and comfort the younger man, but he couldn't while the pain tore through Harry. He downed the potion and returned to preparing the younger man as he waited for the potion to take effect. As he mentally counted the time before the aphrodisiac began to work, he did his best to calm Harry down and take his attention away from the pain. Now and then he caught a glimpse of tears trailing down Harry's face as the younger tried to keep himself from thrashing about. 

 

Severus mentally cursed the potion as it slowly took effect and shortly after it worked its magic on his system, he was coaching Harry through the penetration. He made sure to work quickly, just to end Harry's pain. After what he considered too long a time, he came and when he gently withdrew the younger man curled into a ball and sobbed.

 

As Harry cried harder, Severus became alarmed and raced down the hall to the bathroom he used earlier. Once inside he turned on the tub's faucet and rummaged inside the potions cabinet over the sink. He drew out a post Cruciatus potion and a muscle relaxant. He poured the latter potion into the running water and set the former on the ledge that ran the length of the bath. Once the tub filled he turned off the water and dashed back to the bedroom to retrieve Harry. He was still curled up and sobbing harder than before. He gathered the distraught boy and carried him into the bath. Harry gave no indication that he noticed the change in environment. He laid the younger man into the warm water, but Harry wasn't able to keep his head above the water. Severus grabbed him the moment he went under and after a moment's indecision scrambled into the tub and settled the younger man against his chest. Severus reached over for the post-Cruciatus potion and coaxed Harry into drinking it. Shortly after drinking the potion Harry drifted off to sleep as Severus held him securely. Even under the soporific effect of both potions Harry slept restlessly and his constant shifting was causing an unexpected reaction in Severus. Much to the older man's disbelief his cock was slowly showing interest as the restless youth squirmed against him. Eventually Harry settled down with his chest pressed against Severus' and their legs tangled together.

 

Severus held the young man while rubbing circles on Harry's back. Even asleep Harry looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. No one that young should have worry lines etched in hi face. He should be worrying about his grades and girls, or boys his mind added as an after thought. As they lay in the warm water Severus' gaze returned to Harry's face and he noticed more and more of the younger man's mother in him. His eyes left Harry's face and raked across the younger man's thin frame, his much too thin body. Severus' mind reaffirmed its earlier thoughts about the boy. Yes, he was beautiful and Severus knew the boy most likely didn't think that way about himself. He clung to his vision of the spoiled rotten boy in public, but Severus knew that those Muggles Albus insisted Harry live with neglected him at best and possibly abused him at the worst. A small amount of the guilt he had at heaping more abuse on those thin shoulders was assuaged by telling Moody and Weasley about the way the boy was treated by the Muggles. Hopefully the small amount of time he spent with them this summer was pleasant for a change.

 

The water they were in cooled to the point that Severus was uncomfortable and Harry slept on oblivious to everything around him. Severus pulled the plug with his toes and when the water drained out he spelled himself, Harry and the tub dry. Once he was sure he wouldn't slip and break his neck, he eased himself out from under the slight figure of Harry. Severus reached down and picked the much too light body up and carried him back to their room. Once he tucked the younger man into the bed he debated whether to climb in also. The whole event was traumatic for Harry and though it didn't affect him as much Severus still was knackered due to the stress and other mitigating circumstances. He made up his mind and slid into the bed. As he waited for sleep to claim him, he couldn't keep his self-loathing at bay. He felt filthy after taking the boy while he was screaming in pain even though the younger wizard was helping. It brought up memories of some of the Dark Lord's 'parties' where he would have the Death Eaters capture Muggles and Muggleborns. Part of their torture included rape and their screams affected him the same way Harry's did. Perhaps the fact that he had some desire for the younger person beside him compounded his guilt. Either way it made him feel like he was covered by the slime that grew on the dungeon walls.

 

Harry started to whimper and toss. The sudden motion where there was once none startled Severus from his self-recrimination. He pulled Harry closer and once the thin body was firmly embraced, the green-eyed youth clamed into a peaceful slumber. Severus summoned his wand from the bathroom and cast an alarm charm to wake them in the afternoon. He had no idea what time it was, his only concern was returning to Hogwarts by supper time. Severus allowed slumber to take him as he breathed in the scent of Harry.

 

The alarm spell jolted him out of a rare nightmare free sleep. The dreams he had were pleasant, overly so, and about the young man whose head rested on his chest. The evidence of how enjoyable they were was pressed against the slim thigh of his bed-mate. Harry snuffled a bit and then stretched as he woke up fully. When he noticed Severus' erection he stiffened and looked like he was deciding when to bolt from the bed. Severus didn't waste any time and immediately soothed the frightened youth.

 

"Don't worry, Harry. I won't do anything to you between the times we must satisfy the curse unless you ask for it." He said in a calm voice that, to his ears at least, hinted how much he'd like Harry to request such an activity.

 

Harry looked at him for several moments and he guessed the younger man was deciding whether to believe him or not. Slowly he nodded before pulling away and slowly dressing in the clothes that Severus brought down for his use the day before. Severus eased out of bed and padded over to his closet in search of his own attire. Once armoured against the world he turned to his fellow victim, who was still slowly dressing.

 

"Are you still in pain, Harry?" He asked quietly.

 

"A little, but mostly I'm stiff." Harry said with a slightly hoarse voice.

 

"I've a potion for the pain and stiffness and when we return to Hogwarts we'll get on for your throat. Are you hungry?"

 

"Yes, though I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it down. I don't remember the pain being that strong before you rescued me." Harry answered his voice very small and unsure about the universe as a whole.

 

"We'll eat before we portkey back to Hogwarts. There's a spare trunk in the closet that you may have. Take all the clothing with you; I've no need for them. Perhaps Minerva could be persuaded to take you clothes shopping once you're settled at the castle."

 

"Thank you, Severus. Do you think the house-elves would be able to alter these further?" Harry gestured to his borrowed clothes.

 

"Perhaps if they do it by hand since I don't believe magic could accomplish anymore with them. I still could never understand why he bought them when he wouldn't allow me to wear them at school. My father was an idiot." Severus mused out loud with a small, very small, smile at Harry.

 

"I wondered a…" Harry started and then suddenly clamed up. "Never mind," he whispered and a few awkward moments of silence followed. Severus watched him hurry into the closet and locate the offered trunk.

 

Severus knew exactly what the boy was thinking and he still was angry at the brat for invading his privacy. Somewhere, in that small corner of his mind that his conscience resided, a voice told him that Harry wasn't a boy any longer and truly never was. Once again he agreed with that voice, but never would acknowledge that out loud.

 

"I'll meet you in the kitchen when you're done here." Severus told the younger man as he swept out of the room. He heard a muffled okay from the vicinity of the bed.

 

Severus dug in the hamper for food suitable for a rather large lunch. Molly had put storage and self heating charms on all the food she sent to them, which this time he was more than grateful for. He was in absolutely no shape to deal with meal preparation. His nerves were starting to get to him due to the meeting he'd be having with Albus all too soon. Harry crept quietly into the kitchen. He watched Harry hover for a few moments through the reflection in the window before the young man went and tried to locate plates and silverware while Severus took care took care of unloading the food. 

 

After a few moments of searching Harry had the table se and they both ate silently lost in their thoughts. Without a word to each other they cleaned the plates. Severus shrunk the food hamper and then they made their way upstairs. Severus shrunk their trunks and went into his closet to fish out a pair of cloaks after tucking his trunk into another pocket. He handed one of the cloaks to Harry, who giggled slightly at how he looked in the much too large cloak. Severus felt the corners of his mouth lift up in response, but was distracted when a voice rang through the room.

 

"Grandson!" The voice shouted in agitation.

 

"Yes, Grandfather?" Severus responded, his brow wrinkled in concern.

 

"That bastard your father wasted the family fortune on is at the decoy with a mob of his thugs." The grey bearded man with deep blue eyes told Severus with a look of obvious disgust on his face. "I don't know if any of the owls escaped, but yours and the white one are still in your old room. I hope you weren't planning on leaving from the decoy. You should break the focus crystal for the displacement spell on the entranceway."

 

"We're not connected to the floo system, Grandfather, there's no way to return if I do disable the foyer spells." Severus said, clearly at a loss. "The last time Albus tried making me one so I could return here I ended up in the hospital wing for a week."

 

"Behind your Grandmother's portrait in my room is a safe. The password is the first, middle and last ingredients of a strengthening potion. The walnut box in the back has portkeys charmed by one of our ancestors. Take one for yourself and one for your young man."

 

Severus felt his face heat up in embarrassment, but he ignored both his blush and his Grandfather's portrait and ran to the study in order to destroy the crystal focus. Once that task was completed he raced up three floors above his current rooms and swung his Grandmother's portrait out of the way. Luckily for him the frame was empty, sparing him from lecture for his rough treatment of the painting. Severus rattled off the combination and found the box his Grandfather mentioned after a few moments searching. He extracted two of the platinum necklaces featuring the Snape family crest. Severus paused by his old bedroom and enlarged his owl's rarely used cage and coaxed the two birds into it, before returning to his bedroom with the birds secured. At least this time there was no reason to race about the manor.

 

As he walked he realized he made what could be a fundamental mistake in leaving Harry alone with his Grandfather's portrait. Severus loved the man dearly, but like Albus he could make any situation better or worse with a single word. Given the state he feared Harry was in, that single world could end in disaster. If he was lucky his Grandmother would have joined her husband in the frame. She always had a means of muzzling the old man.

 

Once he was on the floor that his room was on he crept quietly to the doorway. As he got closer he could hear the murmuring of both of his grandparents and Harry. He waited outside the door and listened to what seem to be a lengthy conversation between the three.

 

"Just because that filthy bastard cursed you, it doesn't mean that you won't be happy." Severus heard his Grandfather say and he wondered what Harry had said to prompt that comment from the old man.

 

"Julius and I ended up married when we got hit by a binding curse meant for another couple. We couldn't be happier with the accidental arrangement." His Grandmother added. "It was the best thing to happen to us, especially given who our parents had originally chosen for us." In a sneaking whispered aside she continued. "You wouldn't believe that we once loathed each other had you met us when we were alive."

 

"I don't have much luck when it comes to stuff like that. Either they'll turn against me, resent me or get killed because of me. Anyway, Severus has never liked me and eventually he'll hate me more because of this." Severus was surprised at Harry's comment and wonder why he thought his opinion of the younger man hadn't changed because of their situation.

 

"Severus also realized that he had a long battle ahead of him and it was more than likely that Harry will fall into a depression because of this. He was going to have to watch him closely during the school year. He heard his Grandfather's angry tones building before his Grandmother cut him off.

 

"When the time comes someone he knows and trusts will tell him the same and then he'll believe us. Just don't close your mind to the possibilities, Harry." His Grandmother told the young man.

 

Harry didn't respond and Severus took the opportunity to enter the room. All the conversation stopped completely upon his entrance.

 

"We have to leave, Harry. We're already late and if we delay any longer Albus will send out a search party." Severus announced quietly. He stepped over to place the necklace he gathered from the safe around the younger man's neck.

 

"The portkeys are activated by the phrase 'Thestrals in the shadows' and can only be activated by the wearer." Severus' Grandfather informed them. "If someone grabs the chain while you're trying to activate it and you do not wish them to accompany you the portkey will not bring them along when you activate. They also cannot be removed until the bearer has died, so there's no worry about that slimy bastard taking it from either of you. Good luck, children, and return home soon."

 

"Are you ready to go?" Severus asked Harry after acknowledging his Grandfather's information and farewell.

 

"Yes." Harry responded before checking his pockets for his borrowed trunk and waving goodbye to the two portraits.

 

Severus held out the three day old Muggle newspaper and watched as Harry hesitated before touching it. The world dissolved around them as the magic hooked them and yanked them to their destination. When the world came back into focus Severus was still on his feet, but Harry ended up sprawled on the floor while glaring at the portkey. Severus reached down to help Harry off the floor and the younger man hesitated. To Severus he looked like he really wanted help, but was afraid of the contact. Severus gave him no choice as he grabbed the man's arm and pulled Harry into a standing position. 

 

Severus looked around the entry way and noticed that Albus didn't have someone waiting for them. He was surprised that none of the Weasleys or the werewolf was waiting for Harry's arrival.

 

"The Headmaster should be waiting in his office. Come." Severus pivoted his heel and headed up the stairs with Harry following silently.

 

This walk was the longest trip he's ever taken to the Headmaster's office in the central tower. He wasn't looking forward to the meeting at the end of this trek. Severus couldn't shake the feeling he was marching towards his own execution. Harry still didn't utter a sound and that distracted Severus from his own plight. He constantly looked over at the silent youth following in his wake. The young man was very withdrawn, far more than he was after the death of his godfather. Their arrival at the gargoyle jerked Severus from his careful scrutiny of the Boy-Who-Lived.

 

Severus barked the password to the stone statue and swept through the opening the moment it was clear. Severus took the stairs two at a time, now determined to get this nightmare over with. He could hear Harry struggling to keep up and when they both reached the top step the door into Albus' office opened at their approach, allowing them immediate entrance. 

 

Albus sat behind his desk with Minerva and Poppy flanking him. All three were looking expectantly at the door way. Severus stepped aside once he crossed the threshold and allowed Harry to enter. The younger wizard hesitated just inside the door. When the two witches rushed towards the young man Severus noticed Harry flinch and cower slightly in fear. He guessed at that moment that Narcissa and Bellatrix had significant contact with Harry given his reaction to two people he knew never laid an ungentle hand on the boy. There were more and more problems being added to Harry's burden and Severus prayed silently that the young man could withstand them.

 

"Enough!" Severus barked, stopping the two witches in their tracks. "Return to your places. He still is feeling the effects of his captivity." Severus slowly touched Harry's back and when the green-eyed man didn't pull away, Severus pushed him further into the room and guided Harry to a chair.

 

"Harry, how are you feeling, my boy?" Albus asked once Severus got his charge settled.

 

Harry's only response was a shrug and the green-eyed youth refused to look at the Headmaster. Albus sighed sadly and turned his attention to Severus. Severus stilled his self-condemning thoughts to face the elderly wizard's questions.

 

"Severus, what happened after you were summoned?"

 

Severus proceeded to tell the three adults what happened from his arrival at the Dark Lord's lair to his escape. Including the majority of the dialog he heard, but leaving out the nature of the curse used on Harry. He made sure to faithfully describe Harry's actions and words as he conveyed the details of the rescue and the events leading up to it. When he was done with his recitation he gave Albus a pointed look.

 

"Minerva, Poppy, would you both escort Mr. Potter to the infirmary and make sure there aren't any lingering injuries that Severus may have missed. I want to make sure there are no lingering after effects."

 

Both women nodded acceptance and managed to herd a reluctant Harry out of the room. The young wizard gave Severus the impression that he was going to bolt at a moment's notice. He caught those green eyes as they passed him and gave Harry a silent promise to be there as soon as he could. Severus just hoped that Harry was able to read it, he certainly gave no indication that he had. Albus, on the other hand, did notice the look and was perplexed about the exchange. Thankfully the old coot didn't question it.

 

"What curse did Voldemort use on Harry?" Albus asked once he was sure the other three were out of earshot.

 

Severus' defences fell as he fished the stolen book from his pocket. He opened it to the page containing the information on the Nexi Nexum Intercipio Secus curse. Wordlessly he passed the opened book to Albus and remained silent as the man read the entry.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small chapter from Dumbledore's point of view.

The Curse  
Chapter 8  
By Corgi

 

Albus watched Severus as they man fished in his robes for something. For the first time since Albus reclaimed his lost fledgling, he was able to see the emotions running freely across his face. Severus was so open it alarmed the elderly wizard. The young man Albus had taken under his wing all those years ago looked as if he was on the verge of collapse, but the reason for this state was beyond the old wizards grasp. He did wonder about the reassuring look he gave Harry earlier and it left Albus puzzled. Albus was brought out his thoughts when Severus pushed an open book towards him.

 

Albus carefully read the passage Severus opened the book. Curiosity was his primary emotion as he read the opening paragraph, but as he read on it morphed into dread, fear and then despair. If anything happened to Severus they'd lose Harry. Voldemort effectively crippled their information gathering. They couldn't even send Severus out to those he knew in Knockturn Alley to purchase information from those who made their living by selling it. On a more personal front, he didn't know how either of his boys was going to deal with the emotional problems this was going to induce. They never had any sort of positive relationship since the day Harry crossed the threshold of the castle. Though the earlier scene gave Albus a small bit of hope, he still saw rough waters ahead for the two men.

 

"I take it you've had to do this already?" Albus stated with a helpless wave at the book.

 

"Twice and I don't know if he cursed Harry in front of us or if he did it earlier. He may have altered it too. It did not go smoothly the second time and the first he was on the brink of death." Severus said in a hollow voice.

 

Dread filled Albus as the information seeped into his skull. He felt like he was drowning in it as the implications sunk in.

 

"Altered it? How so?" Albus asked his voice tight in anxiety.

 

"I feel that the Dark Lord may have added another aspect to the curse. If the victim is feeling any sort of positive feeling, emotional or physical, during the early stages of the punishment phase then the curse's pain kicks in full force." Severus' hollow voice echoed dully in the silence of the office. 

 

"How sure are you?"

 

"Fairly sure. It'll take a few more tries before I can be absolutely positive of the alteration." Severus said finally looking up at Albus. "This morning all was going well before the curse went into a full blown Cruciatus-like pain."

 

"You'll have to arrange to bring Harry down to the dungeons far in advance of the penalty phase then."

 

"I know. Would it be a problem to open a guest suite until school starts?"

 

"Certainly, Severus. I don't feel Harry should be alone in Gryffindor tower. It'll be harder to protect him."

 

"He still has his homework to complete. Were his things recovered from the Dursley's residence?"

 

"Most of it was, but we'll have to take him to Diagon Alley for a new wand. Voldemort may have destroyed it, but I've reported it stolen, mostly to make sure Voldemort isn't using it for some nefarious purpose." 

 

"I wouldn't put it past him to frame Harry for something. He definitely set a trap for me, which I fell into quite readily." Severus' voice held a note of self-loathing Albus hadn't heard since the younger man first came to him seeking help when he decided to escape Voldemort.

 

"I would rather have you both in this situation than either of you turning up dead or bound to Voldemort. Yes, we're now at a disadvantage, but we will find other ways to gain information."

 

"If you say so, Albus."

 

"It'll be fine, Severus. I'll give the book to Filius and have him start looking for a counter or curse breaker for it."

 

"I hope he finds one, Albus. As it is the werewolf and the Weasleys may rip me apart without waiting for a counter."

 

"No one is going to harm you, Severus. I will not allow it and if they do they'll suffer my wrath."

 

"I have the feeling that this isn't going to work out in our favour, Albus."

 

"Don't be so pessimistic, Severus. Where there's life there's hope." Albus told the younger man. "Let's head to the Hospital Wing and see how Harry's doing."

 

Albus stood and headed to the stairs. Once he reached the bottom he had to wait until Severus made his way down the golden steps. The younger man looked like he wanted to bolt to his dungeons and never step out of them again. Despite his best efforts to engage the younger man in conversation, Severus stubbornly remained silent. He also kept two steps behind and to Albus' left, which annoyed the elderly wizard to no end. No matter how Albus slowed his steps, Severus kept the distance between them. Huffing to himself in annoyance, Albus increased his pace to shorten the trip.

 

They entered the wing quietly and approached Harry's bed silently. Harry was obviously dosed with a sleeping draught since he wasn't moving. Poppy and Minerva stood off a short distance whispering angrily to each other. Albus watched Severus out of the corner of his eye. The younger man looked torn between fleeing and moving closer to the boy. Severus never got a chance to decide which he wanted to do.

 

Minerva and Poppy noticed their arrival and acted quickly. Before Albus could say a word to either of them, Minerva launched herself at Severus and hit him in the face several times before Albus could grab her while Poppy hexed the Head of Slytherin with several uncomfortable hexes. Severus made no move to defend himself and neither woman would heed Albus' orders to stop.

 

In a fit of anger, Albus employed a disciplinary spell that fell out of use during his own student days. Mostly it was used to keep bullies from harming the younger and smaller students. He used the spell on both women and it sent them both flying when they attempted to hurt Severus again. When the two women looked accusingly at him he made sure his anger showed.

 

"I will not tolerate such behaviour from my staff," Albus told the women in a hard tone.

 

"Albus, I checked the boy out. He was raped and Severus is the culprit." Poppy spat. "Just because he hated…"

 

"Enough!" Albus barked. "I will not allow Severus to be punished for saving Harry's life."

 

"But Albus…" Minerva started to protest.

 

"I said enough! Voldemort used a corrupted fidelity curse on Harry. If Severus, as Voldemort's vassal, didn't take action Harry would have suffocated to death. I, for one, prefer to have Harry alive."

 

As Albus reprimanded the two women, he noticed Severus edging away from them while trying to staunch the blood pouring from his nose. Albus knew Severus was going to try and leave without being treated. Albus took two long steps and snagged the younger man's sleeve. He pulled Severus back towards Harry's bed and pushed the Potions Master into one of the bedside chairs.

 

"Poppy, heal the damage you to caused," Albus ordered with a glare. Poppy glared back but did as she was ordered. "Now as punishment for your deplorable behaviour, you both shall be taking Severus' chaperone duties in Hogsmeade for the year as well as any detentions he will be giving."

 

"Albus…" Minerva began to speak once again but was interrupted by Albus.

 

"My decision stands, Minerva. Your actions were uncalled for. Severus won't be able to go into Hogsmeade anyway and I had to give his duties to someone anyway. Now that his cover is blown he must remain in the castle or Grimmauld Place. I will not hear any more on the subject."

 

As he finished speaking, Harry began thrashing on the bed. Poppy and Minerva ran over to him and tried to calm the boy, but when their hands touched him his movements became more frantic. Severus got up slowly and pushed Minerva out of the way. He batted Poppy's hands out of the way and when his touched Harry's face the boy immediately calmed. Severus hooked a chair with his foot and pulled it closer to Harry's bed. Albus watched as he sat next to Harry's bed and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. Harry began to fuss again as he noticed Severus' absence. Severus stood once again and began to gently rake his fingers through Harry's hair. When he tried to move away again, Harry reacted and blindly reached for the older man.

 

"Severus, do what you must," Albus told the younger man as he moved to calm the boy again. "There will be an order meeting tonight at eight. You'll have to bring Harry with you since I don't want him here alone."

 

"We'll be there Albus," Severus stated as he pulled his wand out. A muttered spell enlarged the hospital bed and Severus slid into the bed next to Harry, who immediately curled up against his professor. 

 

Albus allowed a smile to cross his face at the scene before him, but he didn't say a word. He just allowed the hope the sight caused to bloom. Silently he motioned the two women out of the wing. Minerva returned to her office with Poppy in tow while Albus returned to his office to pen a note to those waiting at Grimmauld Place. Once the task was complete and Fawkes was on his way to deliver the missive, Albus sat back and prayed to any deity that would listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two more chapters of this written before having to actually go back and start writing. It'll be some time before I manage to write it. I lost my notes when Hurricane Sandy hit the East coast of the United States and from what I remember of the 11th chapter, I had written myself into a corner. So I need time to reread what I've gotten done and re-outline the rest of the story. Thanks for reading everyone.


	9. Chapter 9

The Curse  
Chapter 9   
By Corgi

 

Harry was torn between wanting to cling to Severus in the Headmaster's office or running and hiding as he was dragged through the castle's hallways to the Hospital Wing. McGonagall and Pomfrey chattered at him and he couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. He tried desperately to rid himself of the memories of his time with the two 'Black' sisters in Voldemort's dungeon. They were the worst of the lot and he was extremely glad that they couldn't rape him. It was the only good thing Voldemort's done to Harry's knowledge, unintentional though it was. It wasn't a good idea to think about those bitches and rape in the same thought. Now he had to try and stifle his overactive imagination as it conjured scenarios of how they would have gone about doing so. That wasn't something he wanted to entertain while in the clutches of the school medi-witch and his Head of House. 

 

He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard a huff of annoyance uttered by McGonagall followed by a look that said 'pay attention'. Harry found himself forced onto a bed in the hospital wing and unceremoniously stripped of his clothing. He flushed a bright red and tried to protest. Neither woman listened to him as Pomfrey began to cast spells over his body while McGonagall alternated between holding him down and fetching whatever Pomfrey requested. Harry watched with horror as Pomfrey's wand hovered over his groin. The color of the light around that portion of his anatomy turned purple and both women went white. 

 

"Harry, do you know who raped you?" McGonagall asked, looking ready to shred the person he named.

 

Harry kept his mouth firmly shut as Pomfrey repeated the question. He wasn't going to cause Severus more trouble if he could help it. When he wouldn't cooperate Pomfrey glared at him and stalked to her potions cabinet. She removed a vial of Dreamless Sleep and forced him to swallow every drop. Harry gratefully succumbed to the influence of the potion and allowed darkness to claim him.

 

He woke when the potion wore off and found himself confined. He panicked for several moments until a familiar voice murmured in his ear. Sometime during the time he was sleeping, Severus came in and curled beside him on the hospital bed. Once again Harry was torn. He was glad the man was there and he wanted nothing more than to burrow deeper into his embrace. On the other hand he wanted to be as far away from him as he could. Memories of past potions classes and that vial of red fluid he saw the man ingest marched before his mind's eye. He was urged to turn over by the larger man next to him and after hesitating a moment Harry obeyed.

 

"Are you alright?" Severus asked quietly, obviously trying to avoid attracting Pomfrey's attention.

 

"Yeah. Why?" Harry responded though he was confused as to why Severus was asking if he was alright.

 

"You had either a vision or nightmare despite the sleeping potion Madam Pomfrey gave you."

 

"Madam Pomfrey gave me Dreamless Sleep, so it must have been a vision, but I don't remember any of it." Harry told the older man.

 

"Ah, most likely the Dark Lord was angry about not finding us and the fact that any books and artifacts he obviously stole from my family's decoy manor were fakes."

 

"Oh." Harry felt like an idiot once again in Severus' presence. 

 

"It's all right, Harry. That was the purpose of the decoy. When it's safe to do so I'll borrow a few of the school's house-elves and erect a new decoy manor." Severus replied after misinterpreting Harry's response. Severus glanced around for something before speaking again. "We've enough time to eat before heading to headquarters."

 

"Do I have to go?" Harry asked in desperation. He didn't want to face his friends until he could sort through the tangled mess of his mind.

 

"I know you'd rather not go. Neither do I, but the Headmaster insists I go and he doesn't want you alone here."

 

Harry sighed and slid out of the hospital be to search for his borrowed shoes. Once he was set he wordlessly left the wing and headed to the kitchens. He still couldn't figure out how to react to Severus. Half the time, he wanted to crawl into the older man's skin so he'd never be found again and the rest of the time, he wanted to blast the man out of existence. It was hard to forget the past several years of verbal abuse and ridicule he experienced in classes. It was also hard to trust him though his instincts said he could. The man raped him while he was unconscious three days ago and though he apologized it was still too hard for Harry to accept. He craved the gentle touches the older man gave him and he couldn't help feeling like he was betraying himself because of that desire. He didn't think that he was going to sort out all this conflicting responses anytime soon. 

 

Harry kept walking while lost in his thoughts, his feet led the way quite well without his input until a hand grabbing his shoulder. He jumped and dug for a wand he no longer had as he turned to face the person behind him. Instead of seeing a Death Eater or worse he saw Severus staring at him in concern.

 

"You almost walked right into the painting." Severus said while eyeing Harry with a concerned frown. "Are you sure you're doing well?"

 

"Yeah, I'm just thinking." 

 

"I never thought I'd ever say this to you, but perhaps you need to do a little less thinking." Severus said with a small indication of a smile.

 

Harry snorted in amusement before reaching out to tickle the pear. Once inside the house-elves' domain they were immediately surrounded by the eager beings. In no time at all they were seated at a small table that groaned under the weight of the many dishes the house-elves foisted upon them. Harry didn't think he was going to eat much, but surprised himself by eating two platefuls of food, much to Severus' amusement. He gave the older wizard a glare that didn't affect its target at all. 

 

"We have to leave now for the meeting, Harry." Severus said before the house-elves could gather the thirty odd desserts they were planning on giving their guests.

 

"All right. How are we getting there?" 

 

"I'm going to apparate you there with me. We'll be landing outside the building. Come, we've a long walk to the gates."

 

Harry followed the older wizard while trying not to get lost in the vortex of his thoughts. He still didn't know what to about this forced relationship he now had with his Potions Master. He still felt like he did something wrong. He wasn't sure what that potion Severus took that morning, but he was sure that it had to be some sort of aphrodisiac. He must be rather repulsive if someone like Severus needed help to touch him that way. His thoughts circled around this over and over again until Severus' hand on his shoulder stopped both his body and mind. 

 

"Hold onto my arm and relax." Severus told him moments before disapparating.

 

It wasn't a comfortable sensation, but Harry preferred it to portkeys and the floo. He felt like he was being squeezed through a tube too thin to handle him. Before the sensation could become uncomfortable they reappeared on the grassy 'park' in front of number 12 Grimmauld Place with a crack of displaced air. Severus glanced around cautiously before pulling Harry forward. Harry would have done the same, but Severus had wrapped his cloak around his smaller frame, preventing him from looking around and keeping anyone out and about from seeing Harry. Harry let Severus herd him into the house with a minimum of fuss, though he really wasn't ready for the sight of his friends charging towards him. He scrambled backwards and used Severus as a shield. He was relieved when Severus snarled at his friends before they could come closer.

 

"Stop right there!" Severus snapped, halting his three friends as they charged forward. "You should know better. Let him make the first move."

 

"Hi, guys." Harry said after slowly stepping out from behind Severus. He kept warily looking about the room half expecting Lestrange and her sister to jump out of the shadows. 

 

"How are you, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly as Harry stepped further in the entrance way.

 

"So-so." Harry responded with a very small smile for his friends.

 

"Why don't you four go into the parlor and catch up? Severus we're waiting for you inside." Another voice entered the conversation and Harry jumped, once again searching for the wand he didn't have. Remus looked surprised for a moment before a look of understanding crossed his face. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to startle you."

 

"It's okay, Remus." Harry said quietly.

 

"Go talk with your friends. I have the feeling this is going to take a long time." Remus said while holding the door to the kitchen open for Severus.

 

Harry took a few tentative steps towards the parlor and hesitated a moment. Severus caught his eye and gave him an encouraging look, but Harry couldn't help noticing that the older wizard looked like his was marching off to his own funeral. He guessed that everyone's reaction to what had happened wouldn't be positive. He hoped Dumbledore was as quick with his wand today as he was last year at the Ministry. He figured that Remus and the Weasley's wouldn't leave the Potions Master in one piece if they could help it. Harry turned and quietly headed to the designated room followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

 

Harry sat on one of the armchairs that surrounded the fireplace while Ron and Hermione took the sofa. Ginny took the other armchair and looked at him expectantly. He wasn't going to volunteer anything, so if they wanted to know some of what happened they would have to gather the courage to ask. The silence grew to oppressive proportions until Hermione gathered herself to ask what they all wanted to know.

 

"Harry what happened?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "How did they get past the wards?"

 

"I don't know how they got through them, but I guess Voldemort found a way to shatter them. I heard someone on the stairs since they didn't avoid any of the squeaky steps like Dudley and I do. I knew it wasn't the Dursleys so I set Hedwig free and tried to escape from my window on my broom when I realized I needed to run. They managed to stop me and I tried to hex the lot. They eventually disarmed me and I used whatever came to hand. Eventually they wore me down." 

 

"You did a lot of damage to them from what I've heard when the adults weren't paying attention to me." Ginny said with grim satisfaction.

 

"Yeah, well it helps that they were told to capture and not kill men." Harry replied.

 

"What happened to you while you were held captive?" Hermione asked, bringing the conversation back to what she wanted to hear.

 

"They tortured me. What else do you expect?" 

 

"Why didn't Voldemort kill you?" Hermione persisted in finding out every detail of his forced visit with the snake faced bastard.

 

"He used a curse on me before Professor Snape could find a way to rescue me."

 

"What curse?" Hermione asked with a gleam in her eye. 

 

Harry hesitated for several moments debating whether he wanted to tell them now and deal with the Weasley explosion or wait until he sorted out his own feelings about the situation. He decided to avoid answering by denying any knowledge of what curse it was and chose to attempt to lock his emotions away. Much to his surprise he was able to shut them off and look at his friends without betraying the fact that he was lying to them.

 

"I don't know."

 

"Does Professor Snape?" Ginny asked in alarm.

 

"I think he might, but they aren't telling me anything as usual."

 

"You think he's already told Dumbledore?" Ron asked with his usual 'Slytherins are scum' expression on his face.

 

"Yeah, I'm sure he did. They made Pomfrey and McGonagall take me to the Hospital Wing so they could talk in private."

 

"Damn. Hopefully, they'll tell you soon before something horrible does happen to you." Ron replied with a touch of fear in his eyes. Harry bet that he was remembering the incident at the end of last year when Voldemort possessed him for a few moments.

 

Harry appeared to agree with his friend while trying to fight down the guilt that welled up because of his lie. He really wasn't ready to tell them. He figured it would be best to tell Hermione when he was ready and have her help him to explain to Ron the situation without his usually brand of fireworks occurring in the aftermath. Harry didn't offer more information and they all sat in silence to wait for the adults to finish. 

 

After too long of a wait and the sound of angry voices breaking through the charms on the door to the kitchen, the door to the parlor slowly opened. Severus was the first through and he was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, McGonagall, Remus, Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Mrs. Weasley stepped away from the group and held her arms open while looking straight at Harry. Harry stepped slowly forward, ready to pull back at any moment and cautiously allowed Mrs. Weasley to wrap her arms around him. He couldn't contain the flinch and at least the older woman didn't take offense. Mrs. Weasley whispered to him in a soothing voice, but he Harry was too intent on keeping himself stiff and throttling the rising panic he felt to listen to her words. She let him go after a few minutes more and he tried his best not to run to the other side of the room as the memories of his captivity roared into the forefront of his mind. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and it was enough to banish the memories and pull his attention to the here and now. He was tense and ready to strike out or flee before he could identify the person moving. It was Remus and the greying man didn't attempt to move closer. Instead Remus sat in the nearest chair and faced Harry.

 

"It'll get better with time, Harry." Remus told him while watching his every move. Harry wasn't sure if he was talking about his skittishness or the situation with Severus. 

 

"Yeah, right." Harry responded with a derisive laugh, clearly getting his disbelief about the whole thing across.

 

Remus didn't get a chance to respond. Mrs. Weasley spoke up, relieving the tension Harry's response left. 

"It's getting late. Time for bed, you lot." She said pointing at the four teenagers.

 

"You're right, Mrs. Weasley. I still have some research in the library that I want to do. I'll need an early start if I want to get it done before school starts." Hermione stated while heading toward the door.

 

"But, Hermione, we still have six more weeks before school starts." Ron whined as he and Ginny followed.

 

"I want to be thorough for my extra credit and that means I have to take my time." She replied primly, causing Harry to roll his eyes.

 

"I don't know why I bother." Ron said in exasperation before turning to Harry. "Well, Harry, aren't you coming?"

 

Before Harry could panic or say anything in response, Dumbledore spoke up.

 

"Harry will be returning to Hogwarts."

 

"Why?" Ron asked with a whine while Hermione and Ginny stopped to listen in.

 

Harry stiffened and looked to Severus with what he knew was obvious panic in his eyes.

 

"Because…" Dumbledore started before Severus stepped in.

 

"Madam Pomfrey ordered Potter to stay in the Infirmary until she is sure he has recovered completely and before you say anything further, Weasley, Potter is here because there is no one at Hogwarts to baby sit him." Severus informed them with a sneer, before dismissing them by turning his back on them.

 

When his three friends had left, Dumbledore looked at Severus over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

 

"It is his right to tell his friends what happened and what the results are when he is ready to do so." Severus responded to the unspoken question.

 

"You did not tell them, Harry?" McGonagall jumped into the conversation with a look of surprised disbelief on her face. Harry just shook his head in response. "Why in heavens not?" She asked with a shriek as Remus hastily erected privacy wards on the room.

 

"Because I'm not ready to." Harry whispered into the silence.

 

"What do you mean by that, Potter?" McGonagall glared at him causing him to shrink back.

 

"He's under enough stress dealing with what has happened. He does not need to cope with his less than understanding friend's reaction." Severus snapped back, bearing down on his colleague with every word until he loomed over her.

 

"That is enough! Both of you!" Dumbledore ordered in a tone Harry didn't recall the man ever using before. When Severus stepped away, McGonagall looked ready to launch an attack. The elderly wizard turned to Harry. "What did you tell your friends, Harry?"

 

"I just told them that Voldemort cursed me, that I didn't know what curse it was and that neither you nor Professor Snape would tell me what was used on me."

 

McGonagall looked ready to shout, but Dumbledore stopped her with a look.

 

"Minerva, remember what I said earlier." Dumbledore gave her a cold glare in warning. Harry wondered what happened while he was unconscious in the Hospital Wing. "Severus, bring Harry back to Hogwarts. Call Dobby. He'll show you to the room set aside for you both. Be careful."

 

Severus nodded to Dumbledore and strode out of the door and Harry followed quickly. Severus was waiting patiently by the door for him and once again Harry found himself engulfed in Severus' cloak while shouting erupted behind them. He stepped out along side Severus, who repeated his careful search of their immediate area. When he was sure there wasn't anyone watching he disapparated them. The squeezing sensation seemed to be shorter than their first trip, but Harry was sure that it was just his imagination. Severus didn't allow him to escape the confines of his cloak until they entered the castle. 

 

Once safely inside, Severus called Dobby, who led them to where they would be staying, though Harry had no idea why he couldn't stay in Gryffindor tower. He decided that he wasn't going to ask at this time because Severus didn't look like he was in a good mood at all. He didn't want to risk the tentative truce they had. Silently he followed his Professor and the eccentric house-elf as they climbed the numerous stairs until they reached the fifth floor. Instead of a portrait there was a simple door, which opened at Dobby's touch. The room beyond the door was an actual suite with two bedrooms that Harry spotted through the open doors. As Harry entered behind Severus Harry could see a huge bathroom through another open doorway. The common room was set up for both dining and conversation. The windows in common room were huge and the whole room was done in earth tones. Dobby left them when they said they didn't need anything. The silence was unbearable until Severus spoke.

 

"It is late and we both need to be up early. I want to restart your Occlumency lessons." Severus gave him a hard glare before his features softened. "If you want you may stay either in the room prepared for you. If you have any problems you may come to me, just do not do so in a stealthy manner or I may hurt you without intending to do so."

 

Harry just nodded and stood for several moments thinking. He understood the silent invitation to share Severus' bed like they did at his home, but Harry guessed that he'd be returning to Gryffindor tower when school started up again in September. He just had to find a way to tell Severus that without hurting the man's feelings. Perhaps he was reading too much into the older man's words, but Harry had the distinct the man had wanted his willing participation outside of the curse's requirements. As soon as that thought crossed his mind the image of Severus downing that red potion drifted through. He just didn't know what to think now. He was too confused and decided it was best not to continue to dwell on it anymore tonight. 

 

"I suspect that I'll be returning to Gryffindor tower when school starts, so I guess I shouldn't get used to sharing your bed. I'll try sleeping alone." He told the older man quietly and received a rare smile in return.

 

"It's all right, Harry. Just remember what I said if there are any problems. Good night." With that Severus walked into one of the bedrooms.

 

Harry silently walked into the other room and noticed that his trunk was already at the foot of the bed. He slowly changed out of the borrowed clothes he was still wearing and removed a pair of Dudley's old and frayed pajamas from the trunk. He dressed and climbed into the bed without bothering to do any of his bedtime routine. He was too tired and he didn't think he'd get much sleep because of his confusing thoughts. He was wrong. The moment he rested his head on the pillow he was dragged into the oblivion of sleep. 

 

He wasn't sure how long he was asleep, but images flew through his mind, each more horrible than the first. He couldn't stop them and he wasn't sure if he was having a vision or a nightmare. Harry tried desperately to wake up and couldn't claw his way to consciousness. He assumed that he was screaming and hoped, with that small part of his mind not trapped in the images that were torturing him, that Severus wouldn't be upset at having his sleep disturbed. 

 

He suddenly was pulled out of the depths of his mind. He found himself being shaken awake by a very worried Severus. Harry couldn't help the slight cringe of fear he gave. Years of having Vernon yell at him for waking the family because of his nightmares came back to the forefront, even though Severus was red with anger.

 

"Dream or vision?" Severus asked while his hands unconsciously moved in a soothing pattern on Harry's arms.

 

"I'm not sure. All I know was they were horrible. I'm sorry I woke you." 

 

"It's all right. I wasn't asleep yet." Severus looked a Harry critically for a few moments. "Would you like a Dreamless Sleep potion?"

 

"No, I don't think so."

 

"Well let me get that potion for your throat. I’m surprised it's not paining you after that."

 

Harry didn't notice that his voice was hoarse and his throat a little sore. He was surprised he didn't notice the discomfort. Severus was back in mere moments and Harry was quickly downing the potion. He lay back on the bed, expecting Severus to return to his room, but Harry was surprised when Severus forced him to lie on his stomach and began to rub his back and shoulders. Slowly the tension drifted away as Severus' hands worked their magic on his stiff muscles. With the relief sleep came and Harry burrowed closer to the man seated next to him before he completely succumbed.


	10. Chapter 10

After seeing Harry disappear into the parlour with his friends, Severus steeled himself for the inevitable confrontation before him. He didn't expect to leave it unscathed despite Albus' promise earlier. He could feel Lupin's puzzled gaze on him as they werewolf closed and warded the kitchen door behind them. Severus felt every eye on him as he stepped forward into the room. Molly Weasley charged forward as if he was one of her kids, which was something she never did before. He kept her at bay with an out stretched hand and avoided the woman's infamous hug. He was saved from any questioning by Albus calling the meeting to order.

 

Everyone present took their seats, except Severus. His flight instincts and general nervousness kept him from sitting at his usual place. Instead he hovered in the shadows to listen and hoping to make the rest of the room forget his presence. Unfortunately Albus seemed to want the opposite.

 

"Severus, please be seated." Albus spoke into the silence.

 

"I have no wish to be seated, Albus." Severus said in a strained whisper while letting only Albus see his agitation and fear. Unfortunately Severus began to pace along the empty wall, telling everyone of his unease.

 

"All right, Severus." Albus turned to face the rest of the Order after a long concerned look at Severus and began the meeting. "I know you all want to hear about Harry's rescue and health, but I first want to hear all of your reports."

 

Severus listened with half his attention while everyone with in the Ministry reported on the activities of known and suspected Death Eaters. It wasn't until Lupin's report on the werewolves that Severus put all his attention into what was being discussed.

 

"Those werewolves that have money of their own or a supportive member of their family are finding it difficult to purchase the Wolfsbane Potion." Lupin began his report and Severus could hear a clear note of worry in his voice. "Many of the apothecaries that carried prepared Wolfsbane no longer do so and the few that are left are selling it are charging prices that even the wealthiest are finding it difficult to purchase."

 

"Severus, do you have any thoughts on this?" Albus asked with a puzzled frown.

 

"I have not been in any apothecary for any significant amount of time recently, but at the end of the school year there was a rumble about Ministry sanctions against the importation of ingredients." Severus replied after a few moments thought.

 

"What ingredients in the Wolfsbane would be affected by any embargoes or heavy taxes?" Albus' normally twinkling eyes were now hard as diamonds.

 

"Moonflower. It is extremely difficult to cultivate due to the stringent conditions it requires to flourish. About 99% of the Moonflower in use is imported from the United States, Australia, Mexico and the Middle East. With out it the potion is useless. Also take into account that this also affects the vampires who chose to use the Blood Serum Potion instead of hunting humans frequently.

 

"So the Ministry is driving both races right into Voldemort's arms." Moody stated with a growl of contempt.

 

"Or a Death Eater in the Ministry is orchestrating these levies by playing up to people's fears." Albus added in a hard voice. "Severus, how are your supplies?"

 

"I have enough of the Moonflower to take care of Lupin's needs for a year as well as one or two others."

 

"I'll look into find a clandestine source for Severus' ingredients. I've followed Dung enough to know some of his sources." Moody offered with what looked like a cheerful expression or probably a predatory one. You couldn't tell with Moody's scarred face.

 

"I suggest you contact Sandra Silvernail in the United States. She's known for her alliances among those our Ministry consider dark. Also she's got the best working relationship the goblins any human has managed. With her contacts she may be able to get supplies to us." Severus told the rest of the room while mentally going through all the other Potions Masters that might be willing to aid them.

 

"She's one of your colleagues if I'm not mistaken, Severus. Why don't you write to her? She's more likely to help one of her fellows than someone she doesn't know." Lupin asked with a puzzled frown on his face.

 

"Mistress Silvernail is very vocal about Potions Masters staying neutral in conflicts and has been advocating that those who use their skills to cause harm be thrown out of the Guild. I have no idea if the Dark Lord has leaked my former allegiances to the Guild. If he has there is no way she'll deal with me."

 

"I'll contact her myself. Fawkes is far quicker than an owl so I should get a reply quickly." Albus said with a nod of understanding. "Is there any other business at hand?" Everyone shook their heads and Albus gathered himself while Severus sank into the shadows. "Then we'll discuss Harry's rescue. As you were aware Severus was called the night Harry was abducted and it wasn't until the third day of his captivity that Severus was able to rescue him."

 

"So he's okay then?" Molly Weasley asked in her usual motherly tone.

 

"No," Albus began to say, but was cut off by the barrage of questions that followed. "Enough! Give me a chance to explain. Severus managed to rescue him, but Voldemort had already cursed Harry."

 

"What did he curse Harry with?" Arthur Weasley spoke into the stunned silence.

 

"Why don't you tell them, Severus, and what your solution was?" Minerva spat before Albus could say anything in response.

 

"Minerva, that is enough!" Albus barked at his long time right hand. "What is done is done and Severus is not to blame for saving Harry's life." Albus gave a stern look or warning to everyone in the room. "Voldemort used a corrupted fidelity curse on Harry. The curse was the Nexi Nexum Intercepio Secus and the altered requirements demand that within three days of casting the caster, a blood relative of the caster or a sworn liegeman must have sexual intercourse with the victim and then every three days after that."

 

The room was silent for several long moments as they all digested the information. Slowly everyone turned to stare at Severus in the shadows. Severus stared back from between the strands of oily hair framing his face and braced himself for the inevitable outburst. Lupin had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily as if he was fighting against himself. The rage filled shout he expected came, but not from the person he expected to lash out.

 

"You raped my son!" Arthur Weasley snarled and began to lunge towards Severus over the top of the table. It took Bill, Charlie and his wife their combined weight to keep the elder Weasley from clearing the table.

 

"Arthur, control yourself. I'd rather have Harry in this situation than dead. At least he's bound to someone we trust." Molly sent him a sympathetic glance.

 

"Really, Molly, how can you condone that? Harry's life is ruined now." Minerva spat, glaring at Severus.

 

"Nothing says that this can't work out for the best. Perhaps this will be to both Harry's and Severus' advantage. Harry needs someone dependable in his life and Severus has more than proved that he is that. Severus may be the only one of use other than Alastor that can understand and help Harry deal with what he's seen." Molly answered Minerva's demand with a calm appearance, which doused his colleague's ire slightly. Her husband continued to struggle in his sons' grasps and received his wife's full attention once again. "Arthur, enough! Hurting Severus will only harm Harry more than he already has been or did you not pay attention to Professor Dumbledore?"

 

His wife's angry glare and the reminder calmed the Weasley patriarch immensely thought the greying red head continued to glare at Severus. Severus couldn't care less, but he wasn't keen on getting ambushed later on by the man. At least both his sons kept a cautious eye on him. Minerva was still going to be a thorn in his side over this given the angry glint in her eyes. She proved him right by ranting once again.

 

"Albus, you can't let him get away with his actions!" Minerva spat, her dark eyes flashing at Albus.

 

"Minerva, we've had this discussion already. I know you want to protect your student, but Severus has done as much, if not more, to protect Harry as you have."

 

"But, Albus…" Minerva started, but Albus stopped her with a look.

 

"Minerva, you've seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that I enjoyed what I had to do the boy." Severus snarled in a low quiet voice that still carried through the room.

 

"You didn't give him any say in the matter and you still were able to go through with it." Minerva stood and shouted across the table separating them.

 

"He was in no condition to make any choices. Since I'm not in the habit of carrying a pensieve in my pocket, I can not show you how closing to dying your precious Golden Boy was!" Severus hissed in rage, allowing his emotions full reign for the first time in front of this gathering. "Do not go leaping to conclusions without all the facts old woman or you'll suffer the consequences."

 

"Don't you threaten me!" Minerva hissed and Severus imagined that her back would be arched and her fur fluffed out if she were in her feline form.

 

"ENOUGH!" Albus took control once again and silenced Minerva with a look. "What's done can not be undone and the most important thing is that Harry is alive and well."

 

"I hardly call that well, Albus." Minerva spat and Lupin growled low in his throat, bringing his presence to Severus' attention once again.

 

"Remus, do you have anything to add?" Albus asked in a tone that indicated he wasn't going to tolerate any more attacks of any nature.

 

"I'm very conflicted. Part of me is very angry at the implications and wants to rip Severus to shreds. Oddly enough despite the time of the month the part of me that dislikes the situation is not the part I would expect to react negatively. My human part is in a rage while the werewolf is satisfied with the outcome and welcomes the new addition to his pack. I guess I'll have to wait and see how things turn out." Lupin's tone was its usual quiet one, but the waver in it proved to Severus that he was telling the truth.

 

"Severus, will this affect when you're able to brew the Wolfsbane for Remus?"

 

"No, Albus. I'll be starting it in the morning along with those potions I haven't yet finished for Madam Pomfrey."

 

"So you'll leave Harry all alone to brood?" Minerva leapt into the conversation, looking to continue with her grievance.

 

"No, he'll be helping like he did at my home."

 

"Good." Albus broke in before Minerva could retaliate again. "If there isn't any other business to discuss, I'll give you your tasks until we meet again."

 

Severus tuned out Albus' giving orders and dwelled on the predicament he landed himself in. He couldn't help but wonder if the whole mess would work out in his and Harry's favour, but he couldn't stop the feeling of dread that filled him when he turned his thoughts towards the younger man. He was going to be hard pressed to make up for his past abuse and he wasn't sure Harry would accept any form of apology from him. When the meeting came to a close, not without another attempt by Minerva to demand punishment for him, Severus led the angry mass towards the parlour where Harry and his friends were stashed. The four teenagers were sitting quietly as they all charged into the room and Severus watched silently as Molly Weasley advanced slowly with open arms, but allowed Harry the option of accepting the offered hug. He observed Lupin's small speech without uttering a word. He would have remained silent had Albus not nearly spilled what Harry obviously didn't inform him friends of. Afterwards he nearly got involved in another fight with Minerva, which he started this time.

 

It wasn't until they were firmly entrenched in the guest room he asked Albus for that Severus felt he was able to relax. He let Harry choose where he wanted to sleep after informing the younger man of his plan to resume their Occlumency lessons. Severus wondered about the brief stab of disappointment he felt when Harry decided to sleep in the other room, but he couldn't fault the green-eyed wizard's logic. He quickly wished Harry goodnight and retreated into the room he saw his trunk in.

 

He efficiently got himself ready for bed and despite his exhaustion he found he couldn't sleep. Severus stared at the ceiling of his bedroom and, as he discovered since her rescued Harry, his thoughts turning towards the boy. It was the younger man's reaction to his taking the aphrodisiac that his thoughts turned to and Severus spent the next couple of sleepless hours trying to guess what was running through Harry's mind at time. Did the boy actually think he could keep an erection while hearing his partner screaming in pain? He hoped Harry didn't have that low of an opinion about him. Then again Harry did sometimes see out of the Dark Lord's eyes, so who knew what 'events' the younger man witnessed over the past year. Given how he fond his fellows were of their rape, torture and kill parties he could see how Harry would come to that poor conclusion. Another thought drifted into existence hard on the heels of the previous one. What if Harry thought he needed help because he had no desire or interest for the younger man? Severus immediately discarded that notion without hesitation. How could Harry think that when the younger man should have felt Severus' arousal during the massage he gave the smaller man and he also remembered Harry's reaction to the erection he was sporting after an intense dream about the green-eyed wizard? Not that Harry knew who he dreamed of, but he thought the boy would have at least noticed before the curse took affect.

 

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the sounds of Harry screaming in the next room. He quickly got out of bed and shook the younger man awake. Severus frowned at the barely noticeable flinch and decided to ignore it for now.

 

"Dream or vision?" He asked while rubbing the younger man's arms in an attempt to calm him.

 

"I'm not sure. All I know was they were horrible. I'm sorry I woke you." Harry looked down at his blankets as if he was afraid of punishment. Severus mentally cursed the boy's Muggle relatives.

 

"It's all right. I wasn't asleep yet." Severus debated whether to coax the younger man into his room or offer him a Dreamless Sleep. "Would you like a Dreamless Sleep potion?" Severus offered, guessing he shouldn't push the emotionally fragile young man.

 

"No. I don't think so." Harry said without hesitation.

 

"Let me get that potion for your throat. I'm surprised you're able to talk after that."

 

Severus quickly went to the bathroom confident that the house-elves moved his supply of potions from his quarters to these. He picked out what he thought would be the best option for Harry's scream damaged throat. When he returned with the potion he noticed how tense the younger wizard was. He watched Harry down the potion and decided that the younger man wouldn't immediately fall asleep due to the tension the boy was feeling and he felt he should do something to help. Where that odd notion came from he didn't bother to question despite the fact that it wasn't part of his nature, but he chalked it up to the whole situation he was now in. When Harry settled back into the bed, Severus coaxed him onto his stomach and proceeded to work the knots out of the thin back. As he soothed the younger man his body responded to his actions while Harry slowly relaxed.

 

Severus was glad the younger man had his eyes closed as he mentally told his libido to not get its hopes up. He didn't really think seeing his night shirt tenting would do the younger man any good at this point in time. Harry relaxed completely as sleep began to overtake the slight frame and Severus smiled when the young wizard curled around his sitting form. Severus sat there until his eyes began to droop with fatigue; all the while he carded his fingers through Harry's unruly hair. When he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer he returned to his room after a brief caress to the younger man's cheek and promptly collapsed into his bed. He was asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

 

The light reflecting into his eyes from the mirror opposite the windows clued Severus into the fact that he wasn't in the dungeons. The very warm body flush against him was another as he slowly regained consciousness. Sometime during the night Harry joined him in his bed though Severus only seemed to have noticed it subconsciously since his arms where firmly wrapped around the smaller form. Severus gave Harry a quick squeeze before trying to slip out of the bed, but the slim wizard was already awake.

 

"Morning," Harry murmured into his neck.

 

"More like good afternoon," Severus replied after glancing at the nightstand clock. "Are you feeling all right?"

 

"Had another nightmare."

 

"I didn't hear you crying out."

 

"Woke up before I started." Harry's exhaustion showed in his voice.

 

"Do you remember what it was about?"

 

"Yeah. I was back in that cell being tortured only this time you weren't there to rescue me." Harry shuddered at the memory his recitation invoked.

 

"I never heard you come in." Severus reached out to touch Harry in order to give the younger man a bit of comfort and was met with the same 'cringe away and try to lean into it' reaction that the smaller wizard gave at his home.

 

"I thought you were awake. You pulled your blankets down for me."

 

"I seem to have added sleepwalking to my list of talents."

 

"I'm sorry." Harry's timid apology had Severus baffled for a few moments until he remember those brief glimpses he got of Harry's home life.

 

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I will not turn you away." Severus sealed that declaration by pressing a kiss to the younger man's wild mop of hair, surprising himself with the affectionate gesture. Not willing to consider what the action meant he pushed it into a corner of his mind to ponder at a later date. "I have to start Lupin's Wolfsbane potion today. I could use your help."

 

"Okay. I still can't do my homework since most of my papers were destroyed at Privet Drive."

 

"I'll ask the other teachers to send down copies of the summer assignments. Come, let's get out of bed and feed ourselves." Severus nabbed his robe at the foot of his bed as Harry padded into the bathroom.

 

While Harry was busy with his morning routine, Severus summoned the odd looking house-elf that Dumbledore assigned them and ordered them breakfast. By the time Harry left the bathroom and he was dressed their food was already on the table. Severus watched in amusement as Harry loaded his plate and quickly shovelled the food in his mouth. Severus calmly filled his own dish and realized that most of the foods sent up were things that Harry seemed to favour. It didn't both Severus any since he rarely ate more than toast in the mornings though he did find the amount Harry was packing away a comforting relief. The boy didn't eat much while they were at the manor and it did worry Severus a bit; not that he'd tell the boy. While Severus watched his young companion pack away breakfast, he allowed himself to examine his own feelings towards the boy once again. He obviously didn't work through them enough the night before.

 

He couldn't fathom why he felt disappointment when Harry chose to sleep in the second bedroom. Was it because he enjoyed having someone share his bed, especially someone that wouldn't harm him? Did he actually, for the first time in his life, find comfort holding someone, hearing their breathing and feeling their warmth against him? His mind answered those questions with a resounding 'Yes' that left no room for doubt. Would he still feel this way with someone else in his bed? His answer was a less than satisfactory 'Perhaps'. Severus managed to pull himself out of his thoughts in time to witness Harry shovelling the last of what appeared to be the younger man's third helping of breakfast. He gave the younger man an amused smirk as he set his own fork down upon his empty plate. He couldn't help but admit to himself that Harry's blush of embarrassment was rather fetching and there was no way in hell he'd confide that little fact to another living soul.

 

"If you're ready we'll start. Come with me." Severus banished the empty plates back to the kitchen and made his way to the dungeons with Harry following quietly behind him.

 

They went straight to his private lab, just before his personal quarters. Severus reminded himself to inform the younger man where his rooms were located for during the school year, after all it would be the safest place for them to deal with the curse's effects while school was in session. Once the two were inside the laboratory, Severus' personal wards locked into place and as they did so Harry jumped and looked warily around the room.

 

"What was that?" Harry asked alarmed, still glancing around looking for a threat and groping for a wand he no longer had.

 

"Those were my personal wards. When I enter the room and close the door they activate. Did you feel them activate?"

 

"I felt like someone was sneaking up behind me."

 

"Interesting. Did you feel anything like that anytime you've entered the Headmaster's office?"

 

"Never felt anything other than annoyance or nervousness going into Professor Dumbledore's office."

 

"Perhaps you're feeling my personal wards due to the constant contact we've been in the past week."

 

"I guess. I really haven't spent as much time with any other witch or wizard as I have with you. Usually I've been around groups of them for short periods of time," Harry replied with a shrug. "What do you need me to do?"

 

"First I need you to prep the ingredients for the Wolfsbane. I, of course, will prep the more expensive items for the potion. You'll be saving me a huge amount of time. The first two ingredients are in liquid form and require twenty minutes of constant stirring before I can add the next ingredient." Severus said as he turned to copy his notes so Harry could read the ingredient list. He handed the marked list to Harry and watched quietly as the younger man carefully read the list.

 

"Since when is Moonflower an expensive ingredient? We've used in several dozen times over the past five years."

 

"Very good," Severus responded and smirked when Harry glanced up in surprise at complement. "The Ministry is interfering with the importation of potion ingredients, especially those used in the production of potions for those creatures labelled as 'Dark'." Harry paled at Severus' explanation and he was quick to allay the younger man's fear for his lone connection to his parents. "Don't worry about Lupin. I have enough to supply him for the year. It'll buy enough time to secure a source without Ministry interference."

 

"Are you going to pull the potions using Moonflower from the curriculum?" Harry asked as he pulled jars from the shelves in the storage room. "I know that there are at least seven potions that use it in next semester's course work for the sixth years." At Severus' incredulous glance Harry elaborated. "Hermione bought the text book for sixth year before the OWLS were over."

 

"I shall be, but I'll be hard pressed to find enough potions that can fill the gaps. We may be doing more theory work than prior years. Most of the potions that are NEWT level require two or more days of brewing and they aren't feasible in a classroom environment."

 

"I don't know whether I've gotten a high enough Owl to get into NEWT Potions, so it may not be anything I have to worry about."

 

"We'll see. I do receive a break down of every student's grades on both the written and practical portions of the OWLS along with comments from the examiners. Just because someone received an O doesn't gain them automatic acceptance into my class."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Many receive their Outstanding grade solely on their theoretical knowledge and they lack any skills in actual brewing. I will not allow them into my class. Also there are those who score an exceeds expectation that are only a few points away from earning the Outstanding and those individuals I allow into the class if there is enough room."

 

"Okay." Harry replied quietly, but Severus could tell by the look on his face that he didn't expect to be one of those few exceptions.

 

"I should be receiving the break downs next week before you receive your results. Don't assume anything until then. If you wish to be prepared you should review our ingredient interactions from each year. You'll need the knowledge for NEWT levels."

 

"My cousin destroyed my herbology book and my first two years of potions. Are there copies in the library?"

 

Severus stiffened in anger as he stopped his measurements long enough to control his anger. Being emotionally overwrought while working on this potion does a lot of damage to the brewing process and he needed to be calm and rational before continuing. It also would do him no good to be angry since the individual that he was pissed at was no longer among the living. Once he was calm he answered Harry's question.

 

"The library doesn't keep copies of the text books since the students are required to purchase them. I also believe that I have copies of the text books in the potions classroom that you may have until you can replace yours."

 

"Do you have a copy of the sixth year potions text?"

 

"I might have a copy or two of the previous text book for the NEWT classes. I've ordered a far more accurate text for the classes this year. If you'd still like to review for the coming semester you can at least use the old books to get your bearings."

 

"Thanks." Harry replied with a smile before bending his head to continue his task.

 

It took Severus several moments to shake off the effects of the younger man's smile and he refused to acknowledge any possible reason for him to react the way he did. He pushed all thought to the back of his mind, but not before his subconscious noted that he'd never seen Harry smile like that in the five years the boy had been at Hogwarts. With another shake of his head Severus resumed his measurements and prepared to settle in for a long afternoon's brewing. 

 

With Harry's help the normally tedious preparation for the Wolfsbane potion was no longer such a chore and he easily made it to required simmering point that usually took him eight hours to reach in under five hours. Once the potion was secured he and Harry retreated to the potions classroom so he could locate the promised text books for the younger wizard. Afterwards they returned to the guest quarters they were assigned for lunch. Waiting for them at the small table they ate at was lunch and a missive from Albus demanding that they eat with the rest of the remaining staff for dinner that evening. Harry made a face at the 'request' but didn't say a word and Severus mentally agreed with him. He wasn't looking forward to fending off any more of Minerva's attacks and if Poppy was there too he didn't stand a chance. Poppy showed alarming Slytherin tendencies despite her sorting into Hufflepuff, especially when she fought.

 

Harry settled down in his room and began looking through the books Severus lent him and steadily began making notes on some parchment as Severus began to map out some theoretical changes to the Wolfsbane potion. He was so absorbed in his work he never noticed the passage of time as he made notes about ingredient substitutions and their possible benefits or impediments to the effectiveness of the potion. It wasn't until Harry spoke that he came out of his near trance. 

 

"I was just looking through the first chapter of the NEWT text you lent me and someone had written in the margins and I was wondering if you could tell me why they made the substitutions they did and would they work?" Harry asked in a rush and Severus thought the younger man was expecting him to yell because of the interruption.

 

Severus held out his hand and Harry placed the book into it with the page in question marked with a strip of parchment. Severus slowly opened the book's cover and found himself staring at very familiar handwriting. He wondered what Potter did with his book when he and his friends stole it from him during there fifth year. It took him forever to rewrite the notes in the new copy he managed to buy after selling enough potions to his classmates, though it didn't have the same meaning as this lost book. This text was one of the few things he had that belonged to his mother.

 

"This was my text book. Your father and his pack of friends took it from me during one of our earlier altercations during fifth year. The book was my mother's when she went to school. Please be careful with it, I do wish it remain in one piece. Now which substitution were you asking about?"

 

"I guess we can start with the first potion. You've written in all the margins for every potion in the book." Harry said quietly. The younger man seemed like he was trying to hide away, which Severus understood given the usual venom he displayed at the mere thought of James Potter. "In this one you completely omitted one of the ingredients and substituted this one, but I can't figure out why the potion wouldn't explode. The instructions say it's unstable until the twelfth step."

 

"I found while working with the ingredients the previous summer that if you remove the rosemary from this potion completely and add the aloe instead it negates the explosiveness of the next two ingredients. The rosemary's natural oil does negate the poisonous extracts of the belladonna, but since the amount of belladonna is so small all the rosemary's oil isn't counteracted. As a result when the toad tongue and dragon spleen are added they combine and release a substance similar to Muggle kerosene, which is why the potion is explosive until the rose petals are added. I've found that substituting the aloe for the rosemary still counteracts the poison from the belladonna and also prevents the formation of the flammable by product of the left over rosemary oil, toad tongue and dragon spleen." Severus patiently explained and noticed Harry looking at a long sheet of parchment. "Is there a problem?"

 

"Nothing in the first year text books talk about the reaction you just described. How are we supposed to guess at that?" 

 

"Let me see the text books. It's been a while since I really looked at them."

 

Harry quietly went into his room and returned with the two books Severus leant him. Severus sat back in his chair and opened the herbology text and slowly read through the pages. Once he settled in he realized that 1001 Herbs and Fungi text didn't have half the information the text his mother taught from had. When he turned to the potions text he found that they had made massive changes from the book he originally reviewed before he started teaching. He now knew why so many of his students had trouble understanding the course work. Only those that were overly obsessed with learning or those taught from birth would know the facts that were no longer printed in this text. Severus sighed in frustration and handed the book back to Harry before standing and motioning that Harry should wait there. He left the guest room and went straight to the dungeons. Once inside his quarters, Severus headed to one of his many, overloaded bookcases looking for the one thing that may help his companion. After several minutes of searching he removed an old, worn journal and brought it back to their temporary quarters. He hesitated a moment before handing the book to Harry.

 

"Be very careful with this please. I wrote this while first learning about potions when I was younger. It's not in any particular order so the information will be hard for you to find, but every possible interaction a beginner in the potions field should know is in that book. I never bothered to check the later editions of your textbooks so I didn't know they changed everything so drastically. I'll need to search for a new text for the younger years now."

 

"I'll be careful with it. Thank you." Harry said quietly while carefully holding the fragile journal. "Maybe you should just cut out the middle man and write your own book?" The younger wizard tossed over his shoulder as he trotted back to his room with the books in hand.

 

Severus returned to his task after Harry left, though the thought of writing his own Potions text hovered on the edge of his mind as he worked. Dinner proved to be the challenge his was expecting and he did his best to ignore the glaring of both Poppy and Minerva. When he refused to rise to their bait they turned there attention to Harry, who didn't fair as well as Severus did. Severus watched helplessly as the two witches badgered Harry. He couldn't hear what they were discussing and any of his silent pleas to Albus went unanswered. Before SEverus could make any move to stop the two women from driving the young wizard crazy, Harry lost the battle with his temper. Unlike the altercations they had in the past, Harry didn't resort to shouting. Instead Harry shoved his plate away so hard that it and several platters fell to the floor. In the stunned silence that followed, Harry stormed from the room, but not without leaving an emotionally laden barrageof magic crackling in his wake. Severus slowly rose to follow, but a look from Albus sent him sinking back into his seat. He picked up his fork and contnued to eat the meal he no longer had any appetite for. He ignored the combined efforts of Albus and Flitwick to knock some sense into the two witches.

 

By the time Severus was allowed to escape the Great Hall, Harry was sound asleep curled into a miserable ball. Severus could see the dried remains of tears on the younger man's face. He debated whether he should wake the younger man in order to get him to change, but he decided to just slip the young man's shoes off instead. Afterwards he summond the throw from the sofa and covered the slight youth. He retreated into his own room to gather his night things before heading into the bathroom for the shower he skipped that morning. He didn't think he was going to be able to sleep that night, but he proved himself wrong by falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

 

Morning arrived and he found himself pinned to the matress by Harry's slight weight. After waiting for the green-eyed wizard to wake up they followed the rountine they established the day before, but this time they both avoided the rest of the staff at dinner, especially Minerva and Poppy. Severus settled into the bed after the long day of brewing and revising his classes with his thoughts racing once again, but instead of questioning the situation like he did the night before last, his mind told him about how nice it was to have someone working with him in the lab. He managed to spare a moment of precious time to wonder if he could convince Harry to work with him after he left school and forget the notion of being an Auror. Not long after that thought sleep claimed him.

 

A noise in the sitting room jerked Severus from his sound sleep and he pulled his wand out from under his pillow as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It read 2 am and Severus slowly slid out of bed to make his way cautiously to his bedroom door. He had left it open for Harry and he took advantage of that to peer out into the room, his wand poised to strike the moment he located the intruder. Once he found his quarry, he quickly realized that it was Harry. The younger man sat on the sofa, clutching his knees to his chest while staring into the fire.

 

Severus tucked his wand into the sleeve of his nightshirt and quietly made his way to the sofa. Harry didn't notice his arrival until Severus placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Harry didn't jump at his touch and it took Severus several moments to gain the younger man's attention.

 

"Worried about the curse?" Severus asked quietly and received a nod in reply. He could see fear in the other man's eyes. "It'll be all right, Harry."

 

"How can it be if everytime we have to do this I end up screaming?" Harry responded in a desolate tone.

 

"It won't happen once we figure out when the Dark Lord cursed you. With that knowledge we could avoid harming you and adjust the penalty phase to suit us."

 

"Are you sure he didn't alter the curse completely? How can we know hat he didn’t corrupt it even more than it originally was?"

 

"We don't, but I don't believe he'd waste the energy required to alter it that much. The Dark Lord is arrogant and never believed you'd be rescued before he would be able to implement the curse."

 

"Despite knowing there was a spy in his ranks?"

 

"I don't believe he suspected me. I'm the only one who could have disabled everyone in the compound, but the Headmaster and I concocted an alibi that made the Dark Lord believe me to be beyond reproach when he returned. He had no cause to believe that I was the spy."

 

"What about those raids the Order interfered with? Wouldn't he suspect you even if he believed you were spying on the Order for him?"

 

"I've always left clues that would lead to one of the lesser members of the Dark Lord's inner circle. I made sure the waters were very muddied before the Order took action and that I was safely and publicly ensconced at Hogwarts before they deployed."

 

A softly murmured 'okay' was Harry's last response before the younger man returned to staring at the fire. Severus allowed Harry to retreat back into his thoughts while he tried to piece together the time leading up to Harry's capture and rescue. He thought he could narrow down the Dark Lord's window of opportunity to curse the boy to between 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. The alarms at the castle went off around 1 a.m. and it took them at least 20 minutes to organize, dress and make it to the edge of the castle's wards. Another twelve minutes to race to the boy's residence and several minutes to cautiously search the house. That gave the Death Eaters at least an hour to subdue Harry and bring him before the Dark Lord. Ideally it would be better if they chose an arbitrary time after the next penalty phase to redirect the timing, but Severus wasn't going to force the younger man to accept more physical contact with him.

 

Severus made the decision to scrap his current line of thought and drew Harry's attention back to the outside world. They were still in that time frame and they were both awake so why not start and hope for a little luck to look their way. After all it wouldn't do them any good to dwell on this until dawn. He pulled Harry to his feet and guided the younger man to his bedroom. It took him a few moments to coax Harry into the bed and get the green-eyed wizard to relax. Severus wasn't going to force the issue after that small difficulty, but it didn't stop him from gathering the necessary vials from the night stand. Harry flinched when the glass clinked together and Severus returned to soothing the younger man. As he whispered nonsense into Harry's ear, Severus couldn't help feeling sorry for the young wizard in his arms.

 

The younger man had no choice in this matter and Severus was more and more certain that the boy never had a chance to discover himself despite his brief entanglement with Chang the previous school year. Severus could only hope that Harry would survive this ordeal with his sanity intact. He didn't believe that this whole situation was going to end well and if by some miracle it did it wasn't going to be smooth sailing at all.

 

Harry relaxed once again and settled against his side quietly. Severus thought the younger man had fallen asleep due to the even breathing he heard, but was quickly proven wrong when Harry hesitantly ran nervous fingers across Severus' chest. Severus held himself still as Harry's fingers worked slowly across his torso. He couldn't stop the shiver of pleasure as Harry's digits brushed against his nipples. Harry stopped his tentative exploration at Sverus' waist, but moments later Severus felt the younger man slowly fumbling with the buttons of his nightshirt. After the garment was opened Harry once again began his hesitant exploration, which aroused Severus to a point he had never experienced before. When he felt Harry move closer and hesitantly lick one of his nipples Severus couldn't hold himself still any longer. Harry continued his actions sending jolts of electricity down to Severus' cock while Severus held the younger man closer. He did his own exploration of the familiar territory of Harry's back with the tips of his fingers and felt the young wizard shiver in response. When Harry gathered the courage to kiss his throat, Severus lost all ability to control his own actions. He rolled over until he pinned Harry's slight form beneath hi and captured the younger man's mouth in a heated kiss, while efficiently removing he clothing from them both.

 

When he finally wiggled out of hi pants and resettled himself lightly upon Harry, he was so aroused that his head swam. He didn't think he could ever be so sexually charged due to an inexperienced touch and that feeling spiked more when Harry's erection brushed against his stomach. Oxygen became a major issue and he released the smaller man's mouth so they could pant for air. Unconsciously Severus ground his erection against Harry's thigh and looked intently at the green-eyed man when he heard the gasp of surprise from the youth. Without breaking eye contact, Severus reached out for the vial of aphrodisiac and shifted himself over Harry. When Harry glimpsed the bottle in his hand the expression on his face dimmed, but Severus quickly regained the younger man's attention by grinding their erections together. Harry's eyes snapped back to his and Severus moaned when those arousal glazed eyes made contact with his.

 

"This is because of you," Severus told the younger man as he pressed his cock against Harry's once again, "and only because of you. This is insurance against our lousy timing." Severus held the vial of aphrodisiac up between them. When Harry opened his mouth to say something Severus placed a finger over the younger man's lips. "I do not wish to see you in pain, Harry. Let me take this, just in case. Otherwise you'll suffer far too long while I wait for it to take affect." Harry nodded slightly and Severus downed the potion quickly.

 

He didn't waste any time and grabbed the vial of lubricant before locking his mouth over Harry's. He worked his index finger into the younger man as he brought Harry's arousal back to the point it was moments before. After several long moments Severus inserted a second finger and nearly leapt out of his skin when Harry hesitantly touched his chest once again. Breaking the kiss only long enough to gulp down a couple of mouthfuls of air, Severus inserted a third finger in Harry's channel and tried desperately to hold onto his self control as Harry's thumbs rubbed circles over his extremely sensitive nipples. Severus could honestly say with utter conviction that the intense arousal and lust he was feeling could be attributed to Harry and not the potion he ingested earlier.

 

Soon his iron control broke and he pulled away from Harry in order to slick his aching cock with the lubricant before tossing the vial off to the side. He reached out to snag one of the pillows, sending the empty bottle of aphrodisiac to clatter onto the floor, and propping Harry's hips up with it. Harry didn't stop his light touches the entire time and slowly Severus pushed himself into Harry's body. It took all of his will power not to slam himself home in one thrust. It was all he could do to control himself and allow Harry time to adjust to the intrusion once he was fully seated. Harry had gone from teasing his nipples to holding Severus' forearms in a bruising grip as Severus worked his way in. Now the younger man laid there panting while his sweat glistened in the candlelight.

 

"Are you all right, Harry?" Seveus asked in concern as Harry panted.

 

"Yes. I'm fine," Harry whispered as he shifted to settle Severus between his legs more comfortably.

 

"You're not in any pain, are you?"

 

"No, I was expecting it to hurt, but it doesn't."

 

"Good." Severus didn't give Harry a chance to utter another word by swooping down and capturing the younger man's mouth in a searing kiss, while beginning to slowly move inside the slight man.

 

He left Harry's mouth after a few moments to work his way along the younger man's jaw until he reached the other's pale neck. While he kissed the slender, salty neck, he shifted the angle of his thrusts, searching for that little knot of nerves that would send Harry soaring. It took him far longer than he thought he would, but eventually he found his target. The moan Harry let loose he hit that sweet spot nearly sent him over the edge. The sound made Severus unconsciously move faster and as he continued to hit Harry prostate the younger man grabbed his shoulders and wrapped his legs around Severus' waste, allowing Severus to plunge himself deeper into the youth's channel. Severus abandoned Harry's neck to concentrate on the sensations over powering him. He felt himself steadily approaching the apex of desire and blindly reached for Harry's neglected cock. Severus pumped that engorged flesh in time to his ever quickening thrusts. Harry was now mumbling all sorts of nonsense and it only encouraged Severus to move faster still. He felt the tightening coil of climax building to the breaking point inside him and fisted his young partner's cock harder and quicker as he raced toward completion. 

 

Severus felt Harry nearing his peak as the swollen flesh he held stiffened even more. Harry's eyes were clenched shut and the younger man bit his lip instead of mumbling nonsense. Severus could easily recognize the look on Harry's face as a prayer for relief, a silent begging for completion. He only had a few moments to identify the look before Harry stiffened. Instead of the spill of warmth Severus expected over his fist he got a glimpse of Harry's shocked eyes a moment before the younger man shrieked in agony. Severus paused a moment before coming to his senses and rushing to his completion with short hurried thrusts.

 

Severus cam silently and moments after he did Harry's screams stopped, though the slighter man's body still shook with pain. Harry whimpered as he pulled slowly out of the younger mans body. Severus watched helplessly for a moment as Harry curled into himself tightly. He heard muffled sobs coming from Harry and for some reason it bothered him greatly. It was odd considering how he's treated the younger man these past five years, but he wasn't going to question it now. Harry's body language and crying sounded too much like defeat to him and he wasn't going to allow the boy to give up.

 

"Harry, don't cry. It's not your fault." Severus whispered into Harry's ear, but it didn't stop the youth's sobs. It took Severus several long moments to uncurl Harry and pull the young wizard closer to him. "It's not your fault." Severus whispered over and over to Harry while stroking his hair.

 

Harry mumbled something into Severus' neck, but between the younger man's sobs and the location of his mouth, Severus only heard a few garbled words. Severus could make out 'freak', 'abomination' and 'will never be normal'. It was enough for him to get the gist of the younger man's thoughts.

 

"You did nothing wrong, Harry. There also isn't a damn thing wrong with you." Harry responded negatively and it only encouraged Severus to continue. "There isn't anything defective about you. This whole situation is the Dark Lord's fault not yours."

 

"Does it really even matter whose fault it is?" Harry muttered bitterly. "I'm never going to have the chance everyone else is going to have at a relationship, especially if no one can find a counter to this bloody curse."

 

"We can make this work, Harry. We've done well so far."

 

"You'll eventually resent me, the fact that you're tied to a teenager. You're not forced to remain faithful to me. If you get bored you can go and find someone else more suited to you. Then one day you won't bother coming back to deal with the curse."

 

"Harry, you can't believe that I would do that to you?"

 

"Why not? Everyone else I've had to depend on has left me!" 

 

"I would never do that to you. I prom…."

 

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Harry interrupted and Severus held the young man still as the slight frame tried to pull away.

 

Harry struggled half heartedly in Severus' arms before giving in to the exhaustion his emotional upheaval and recent tangle with the curse caused. Severus had no intention of falling asleep, but found himself victim to sleep's siren call. He didn't know how long he slumbered or who he was with.

 

When Severus regained consciousness he found himself sporting another erection and he could feel the unnatural heat of the aphrodisiac burning beneath his skin. He was very surprised to feel the effects of the potion working again when it normally only lasted a short time and never past the first climax he reached. As he usually did when a potion didn't work the way it was supposed to he began to mentally go over every step he took in the brewing process, but was distracted when he felt a smaller, but equally erect cock brush his thigh. He drew a blank for a moment before remembering that Harry was sharing his bed. Not long after he recalled who his companion was, said individual drew away with a sob.

 

Harry curled up into a ball once again and Severus wasn't going to let the boy wallow in misery and self pity. It would only give the Dark Lord a victory they couldn't afford to give the bastard. Severus forced the boy to straighten out for the second time and quickly began to speak before Harry could try and escape.

 

"I told you before there's nothing wrong with you and there still isn't." Severus said quietly to the still sobbing boy.

 

"That doesn't mean anything when I can't function properly." Harry snapped back with an irritated jerk of his head.

 

"Everything about you works perfectly fine. That may go away on its own," Severus replied while waving his hand in the general direction of Harry's cock. "But it would feel much better if you did something about it.

 

"Yeah right and have that curse send me screaming in agony once again."

 

"The curse doesn't work that way, Harry."

 

"How do you know? Both times when I was actually getting something out of it I ended up in searing pain."

 

Severus had to think a bit while processing what Harry said to him. First he needed to prove to the younger man that the curse wouldn't harm him outside of the require time period. He reached over as Harry tried to slip out of the bed and prevented the young wizard from leaving. As he pulled his quarry into his bed his mind focused in on the younger man's words and processed what he actually implied rather than said outright. Harry actually was enjoying what they were doing before the curse took effect. He had the sudden urge to find out what Harry looked like as he came, considering the odds of him find out while having sex with the other man were slim. 

 

"It won't happen again today, Harry. I'll prove it to you." Severus told the younger man and began to act on that impulse he had moments before.

 

Harry tried to sit up to leave, but Severus gently pushed him back into the pillows. He lightly trailed a hand down the hairless chest to the red, swollen flesh between the younger man's legs. Harry's hand caught his wrist, preventing him from reaching his goal.

 

"Don't tell me that you think that this is normal?" Harry asked while vaguely gesturing towards his crotch.

 

"It is. Our bodies react to stress in different ways and considering that the curse has the potential to kill you your body is now hypersensitive. It's perfectly natural for the body to react this way after what it considers a near death experience. It also helps that you may have gotten a small sampling of the aphrodisiac I took earlier." Severus replied quietly and with conviction. Harry's grip loosened and he continued his trip southward to grasp Harry's still erect cock.

 

Harry's breath hitched the moment Severus' hand gripped that ridge flesh. Severus began slowly stroke Harry's cock and mentally noted what actions cause the younger man to bite his lip. As Harry's reactions became more vocal and Severus noted each moan as he avidly watched the younger man's face, hoping to see the moment that Harry came so he could capture the image in his mind. It didn't take as long as Severus expected it to make Harry come, but he did manage to see what he wanted to. Harry's warm seed spilled over his hand while the younger man bit his lip to keep from screaming as he came. Harry immediately tried to curl up into a ball again, but Severus pulled the wizard into his arms and held him firmly as the younger man road out the aftermath of his orgasm. Severus rubbed Harry's back until he felt the younger man relax and moments later he heard a light snore that told him Harry was asleep. He gingerly reached down to grab the blankets and pulled them over them. Severus settled down to relax as he listened to the younger man breathe. His erection was still throbbing and he ignored it completely. He had no intention of disturbing the young man resting on his chest. Normally having his partner leaving him in this state would annoy him to no end, but for some reason it wasn't the case this time. A small corner of his mind told him that he didn't want to dwell on the why of the situation and he was content to obey it. He allowed himself doze while replaying in his mind Harry's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of The Curse that I have written. Unfortunately my outline and the skeletons of the next couple of chapters took an unauthorized swim during Hurricane Sandy. As a result I'm not sure where I'm going with the story and I need to reread what I've written so for to decide where I want to go with the story.


End file.
